Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Teachers measure the distance between desks as they prepare a classroom at Immaculate and St. Joseph of the Mountain School in Ronda, Spain, Aug. 28, 2020, before students return during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS photo/Jon Nazca, Reuters)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education called for an alliance between Catholic and non-Catholic educational institutions in order to confront the challenges stemming from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter published Sept. 9 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, the congregation said the pandemic has emphasized "the need for an increasingly communal and shared educational pact that -- drawing strength from the Gospel and the teachings of the church -- will contribute a generous and open synergy to spread an authentic culture of encounter."

The letter was signed by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, and Archbishop Angelo Zani, the congregation's secretary.

As many schools and universities begin a new academic year, many continue to rely on remote learning to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among faculty and students.

In its letter, the congregation said that although digital platforms have allowed for education to continue, they also have brought to light "a marked disparity in educational and technological opportunities."

"According to recent data provided by international agencies, about 10 million children will not be able to access education in the coming years, increasing the already existing educational gap," the congregation said.

While remote learning is "necessary in this extremely critical moment," it has underscored the importance of in-person learning and interactions with students and teachers, which is "indispensable for the formation of the person and for a critical understanding of reality."

 

"In classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories, we grow together and build a sense of identity in relationship," the letter said. "At all ages of life, but all the more so in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, the process of psycho-pedagogical growth cannot take place without an encounter with others, and the presence of the other provides the necessary conditions for creativity and inclusion to flourish."

Teachers, the letter continued, also face myriad challenges and must be thanked and supported for their commitment.

"Their invaluable contribution -- which has changed profoundly over the years, both from a social and technical point of view -- needs to be supported through a solid continuing education that knows how to meet the needs of the times without losing that synthesis between faith, culture and life, which is the keystone of the educational mission implemented in Catholic schools and universities," the congregation said.

The Congregation for Catholic Education said the current situation calls for "an increasingly communal and shared educational pact" that emphasizes the relationship between people and the educational community.

That relationship, it said, "cannot find sufficient home in the interaction mediated by a screen or in the impersonal connections of the digital network."

"In the perspective of future school and academic planning, albeit amidst uncertainties and concerns, those responsible for society are called to give greater importance to education in all its formal and informal dimensions by coordinating efforts to support and ensure, in these difficult times, the educational commitment of all," the congregation said.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV greets religious sisters during a meeting with officials and employees of the Roman Curia, Vatican City State and the Diocese of Rome in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican May 24, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Describing the Curia as the institution that preserves “the historical memory of the church,” Pope Leo called on these Vatican employees to “work together” with him “in the great cause of unity and love.”
Gerard O’ConnellMay 24, 2025
Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist who helped expose the abuse committed by leaders of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, gives Pope Leo XIV a stole made of alpaca wool, during the pope's meeting with members of the media May 12, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Leo offered a heartening message for a global media that has endured a pretty awful year.
Kevin ClarkeMay 23, 2025
If you think our enthusiasm for our basketball team was intense, just wait until you see our support for Pope Leo XIV.
Jack DoolinMay 23, 2025
“I don’t think he’s the kind of man who sends coded messages,” Cardinal Michael Czerny says in this exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell.
Gerard O’ConnellMay 23, 2025