On Thursday, November 25, 2021, Pope Francis will meet with 71 young people of the Scholas Community, from 41 countries of all the Continents. The meeting will be held at 4:00 pm at the Maria Mater Ecclesiae International Pontifical College. The young people attending will range in age from 16 to 27, and come from different socio-economic contexts. There will be refugees, students of prestigious Universities, and young people excluded from the educational system. The participants belong to different cultures and religious faiths: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostics and others. Until November 28, they will share the different experiences they have lived during the pandemic and the teachings learned in their different communities.

Political and Human Formation

 The Holy Father will hold a meeting with the young people on the world they imagine and how they will convert their hope into concrete actions to be implemented on returning to their countries. Fifty of the young people will begin a year of human and political formation inspired by the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti,” with the objective to give an answer that is in keeping with the times and inclusive of the geographic and social peripheries.

Meetings with Experts

 Specialists will be present on the new challenges of digital politics, of direct democracy, of the new economies, of the impact of cryptocurrency, and the importance of the connection between the virtual and the real world. The conclusions of this working day will be shared with the Italian Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi, and with the global Directors of Scholas, Jose Maria del Corral and Enrique Palmeyro, with the object of publishing them in the future

Scholas is an international organization of Pontifical Right. Its network includes 190 countries. It has over 400,000 educational centers and reaches more than one million children and young people worldwide. The first experience was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20 years ago, on the initiative of the then Archbishop of the Argentine capital, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It’s mission is to respond to the call to create a culture of encounter, bringing young people together in an education that generates sense.

Translation by Virginia M. Forrester