An Educational Conversation

This month we’ve heard Amanda Shaw and Ryan T. Anderson expound on the benefits of Catholic education. Never one to shy away from a good conversation, Pope Benedict XVI offered his two cents on the topic yesterday during an address to representatives of Italian Catholic educational centers:

“The Catholic school is an expression of the right of all citizens to freedom of education, and the corresponding duty of solidarity in the building of civil society,” said the Pope, quoting a document of the Italian episcopate.

“To be chosen and appreciated, it is necessary that the Catholic school be recognized for its pedagogical purpose; it is necessary to have a full awareness not only of its ecclesial identity and cultural endeavor, but also of its civil significance,” he explained. This “must not be considered as the defense of a particular interest, but as a precious contribution to the building of the common good of the whole society.”

In this connection, the Pontiff called for equality between state and Catholic schools, “which will give parents the freedom to choose the school they desire.”