VIEW FROM INSIDE ROME

World Congress on Education

Castel Gondolfo/Vatican City
Thursday, November 19, 2015
During the first full day of the congress, I was very much occupied with my list. As I met
people, and passed them or had lunch next to them, I added them to a list of countries from
which they hailed. I counted 62 nations 62 nations of Catholic educators and those are only
the ones I personally encountered. I do not know the total number of nations represented, but
what a grand exhibition of the universality of our Church! How beautiful the commitment and
love for the Church and children this showing represented. Second on my list of memorable
moments today was meeting a most gracious son of the Church, one of the archbishops from
Nigeria and dozens of other holders of the torch of the Gospel mission from the African
continent: Cameroon, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, Congo, Gabon, etc. It was inspiring to be
among them.
Other than that, it was a very long day, marked by almost two dozen talks. It was quite a lot to
take in, given the worldwide representation and the global perspective. By global perspectives, I
do not refer to one idea that fits the whole globe, but many ideas emanating from a myriad
circumstances of politics, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, war, and persecution. It was
overwhelming at points. Yet, in the face of all of that, the message of the necessity of the Gospel
and love of neighbor reigned universal. It was the one thing all speakers had in common.
That was the upside.
One downside was a seeming lack of response to the many problems and challenges that face
Catholic education. With all the "leaders" in Catholic education from so many varied areas of the
world speaking, none seized upon one of the most obvious aids to improving education globally,
and that is a better grasp of Christian anthropology as it relates to the manner and material of
education. There seemed to be a collective misconception that our world has advanced
tremendously from primitive cultures to a most advanced civilization. We seem to not see the
beauty around us here in Rome, where every Church seems to have a Bernini, Michelangelo,
Caravaggio, or a Raphael. How has this come about? By education. By philosophy. By defining
terms and honoring the dignity of man, which is a direct result of a growing Catholic intellectual
custom. Why have we forgotten this? Why can we not consider our dilemma and ask the simple
questions of how we got to where we are today -- how have we come this far? And why are we
now seeing so many troubles? And and to ask all such questions and, yet, not despair!
However, questions from the floor, comments from some presenters, and many conversations
between sessions revealed that there still is a common, collective, and reflective sense. Generally,
the speakers seemed very committed and focused on the need for relationship and true, sound,
Catholic education. The import of many of the participants was that a sound, liberal arts
education, rooted in Catholic intellectual traditions, is the human piece of the puzzle that gets us
there. It was clear that we need to renew the liberal arts approach, and we need to provide sound
materials to students which support Catholic thought, philosophy, and moral structure.

Yes, there is hope. While there still remains confusion, as there always will, a big concern we see
in speeches and the document is that we are increasing our reliance and dependence on
governmental educational structures which are becoming more antithetical to our mission and the
soul of Catholic education. We must recapture the passion and purpose of a true Catholic
education. We must not succumb to social, economic and political pressures we must do
everything it takes to provide sound Catholic education for our children. We must do this for the
future of our Church and the future of civilization. As one speaker, representing parents from
Italy challenged the Church: "Do Not Close The Schools!"
Arrivederci