On 19th April 2024, Pope Francis will welcome 6,000 participants of the Schools of Peace, an initiative of the Community of Sant’Egidio that brings together children, young people and teachers from different parts of Italy.
The goal of the meeting is to build a commitment for peace among the younger generations. At a time when war abounds, the Schools of Peace propose “to look at the future without fear and to transform it.”
This will be the third time that the group will meet with the Pope. In 2017, the first meeting took place. During his greeting to those present, Pope Francis spent a few moments with two girls.
On this occasion, the Pope answered questions from some of the participants. One of them sought to understand why so many leaders want peace but fail to change anything. Pope Francis responded with another question: If today man and woman are not at the center of the life of the world, what is at the center of all world movement? Evil, money, power. Evil, money and power. Good!
Five years later, the Schools for Peace returned to the Vatican and the Pope asked them another very important question.
The Schools of Peace initiative began in 1987 with the aim of including peace education in the curriculum of Italian schools.
Source: Rome Reports