On the Solemnity of All Saints, today, November 1, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World and proclaimed Saint John Henry Newman as Doctor of the Church. The Pontiff stressed that at the center of educational itineraries must be people of flesh and blood, especially those who do not seem to produce, according to the parameters of an economy that excludes and kills.
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“Shine today as beams of light in the world”: was the invitation of Pope Leo
On this solemnity of All Saints, it is a great joy to enroll Saint John Henry Newman among the doctors of the Church and, at the same time, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, to name him co-patron, together with Saint Thomas Aquinas, of all the people who are part of the educational process
Addressing the thousands of faithful, Romans and pilgrims arriving from different parts of the world and in the presence of the official delegation of the Church of England, headed by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the Pontiff highlighted the “imposing cultural and spiritual stature” of the English theologian and cardinal, “a source of inspiration for new generations “with a heart thirsting for infinity.”
Schools and universities, “laboratories of prophecy”
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The Pontiff referred to the lives of the saints that show that it is possible to live with passion and hope in the midst of the complexity of the present, without leaving aside the apostolic mandate to “shine like beams of light in the world” because “Christian love is prophetic, it works miracles” (cf. Exhort. ap. I loved you120). Remembering that the Jubilee “is a pilgrimage in hope,” he highlighted how in the educational field “hope is an indispensable seed.” And he added:
When I think about schools and universities, I consider them as laboratories of prophecy, where hope is lived, manifested and continually proposed.
Reflecting on the Gospel of the Beatitudes proclaimed today, he highlighted how they bring with them a new interpretation of reality and are “the path and message of Jesus the educator.” At first glance – he added – it seems impossible to declare blessed the poor, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the persecuted or those who work for peace. But what seems inconceivable in the grammar of the world is filled with meaning and light in the proximity of the Kingdom of God.
The Beatitudes, however, are not just another teaching, they are the teaching par excellence. In the same way, the Lord Jesus is not one among many teachers, but the Teacher par excellence. Furthermore, he is the Educator par excellence.
Guiding light education
Inspired by Newman’s well-known hymn Lead, kindly light (Guide me, kind light), the Holy Father pointed out that education must offer that guiding light to those who find themselves trapped in the shadows of pessimism and fear. “Let us dismantle the false reasons for resignation,” he asked, “and let us spread the great reasons for hope.”
The Pontiff encouraged making schools, universities and educational spaces “thresholds of a civilization of dialogue and peace”, a reflection of the enormous multitude “of all nations, families, peoples and languages” of which the book of Revelation speaks.
Each person has a mission
Leo XIV recalled one of Newman’s most famous thoughts: “God has created me to perform a specific service. He has entrusted me with a work that he has not entrusted to another”. In these words – he said – we find expressed in a splendid way “the mystery of the dignity of each human person and also that of the variety of gifts distributed by God.”
“Life does not illuminate not because we are rich, beautiful or powerful. It illuminates when one discovers this truth within: God has called me, I have a vocation, I have a mission, my life serves something greater than myself. Each creature has a role to play.”
Education, path of holiness
In the final part of his homily, the Pope highlighted that education, from the Christian perspective, “helps everyone to be holy.” He recalled that Pope Benedict XVI, when beatifying Newman in 2010, invited young people to sainthood, because “What God desires more than anything for each of you is that you become saints.”
“The call to holiness – added Leo XIV – is universal, and the Beatitudes trace that personal and community path towards plenitude.” And finally, he concluded his message by evoking Saint Augustine, so dear to Newman: “We are schoolmates with one Master, whose school and chair are on earth and in heaven respectively.”
