Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholic educators across Africa to make schools true “signs of hope,” responding to what he described as the “silent cries for help” from young people facing growing inner fragility.
The Pope made this appeal on Friday during a meeting with members of the International Foundation Religions and Societies (IFRS), an organization that promotes quality Catholic education and fosters cooperation between the Global South and North.
The visit came shortly after the Jubilee of the World of Education (October 27 – November 1) and just ahead of IFRS’s upcoming Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, themed “Catholic Education and the Promotion of Signs of Hope in the African Context.”
Forming African Youth with Identity and Purpose
Pope Leo XIV commended the group’s mission to strengthen Catholic education rooted in African culture and identity. He emphasized that Catholic schools must go beyond academics to nurture faith, character, and resilience in students.
Recalling his message at the Jubilee of Education, the Pope noted a troubling rise in emotional and spiritual fragility among people of all ages. “We cannot close our eyes to these silent cries for help,” he said, urging educators to make Catholic schools “places of healing, growth, and hope.”
A Call for Collaboration and Missionary Spirit
The Pope also encouraged stronger partnerships between Churches and educational institutions in the Global North and South. Citing the Gospel, he reminded the faithful that Jesus sent His disciples “two by two,” symbolizing the importance of working together.
“Mission requires synergy, not isolation,” he said. “We must build pastoral solidarity that goes beyond material support to include the exchange of pastoral workers and ideas.”
Pope Leo further highlighted a meeting held earlier this year at the Abbey of Maredsous in Belgium, where IFRS discussed plans for an International Center for Missiology and North-South Pastoral Studies. He expressed hope that the initiative would “rekindle the missionary impulse” and strengthen global cooperation in evangelization.
“Remind the World of the Beauty of Evangelization”
Concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholic educators in Africa to remain steadfast in their mission to form young people as “missionary disciples.”
“Remind everyone of the beauty of evangelization,” he urged, praying that educators may continue to serve “as pastors according to the will of God.”
The IFRS Congress in Nairobi is expected to bring together educators, clergy, and policymakers to discuss new strategies for making Catholic education in Africa more holistic, inclusive, and responsive to students’ needs.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.