Pope Francis invites the faithful to pray “that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable above all.”

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By Christopher Wells

In his prayer intention for January, Pope Francis invites educators to add “fraternity” to the content of their teaching, noting that “educators are witness who impart not only their mental knowledge, but also their convictions, their commitment to life.”

He added that education itself is an “act of love” that can show us the way “to recover a sense of fraternity, so we will not ignore those who are most vulnerable.”

Pope Francis called on the faithful to pray “that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation, and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable above all.”

Broadening the reach of education
In a press release accompanying the Pope’s first prayer intention for 2023, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer network explains that the Holy Father “wants to broaden the reach of education, so it will not be centred only on content.” As authentic witnesses, the Pope expresses his hope that educators will be able “to be heeded more attentively and will be builders of community.”

Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos, the Director of the Prayer Network, says that fraternity “is the only path for humanity, and this is why education is essential.”

Emphasizing the importance of coherence between what is taught and the lives of those who teach, Fr Fornos points to Jesus, from whom we learn “that we can only communicate and transmit to others what we ourselves live.” This, he said, “requires coherence in our lives between what we say and what we do.”

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