Cardinal Zuppi: “Schools must be inclusive”

“Schools have reopened their doors in recent days: questions are once again being raised that concern everyone, not just those who teach or study. Education is not just another issue, nor can it be reduced to curricula and teaching methods. It strikes at the very heart of our way of living together. To educate means guiding a person towards freedom, enabling them to seek the truth, to recognise what is good, to form relationships with others and to take their place in the world responsibly. Recent episodes of violence challenge us deeply and must spur us on to a renewed presence in the world of education”. These were the words of the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, as he opened the Permanent Episcopal Council in Rome, quoting the ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ in which Leo XIV identifies “challenges that can no longer be postponed”.

“The first is that of educational inequalities,” he continues. “We cannot accept that a child’s place of birth, economic or physical circumstances, or social background should determine their learning opportunities. A genuinely inclusive school is one of the most powerful tools for justice and peace.”

“The second is pedagogical and also concerns technological change. Artificial intelligence can offer valuable resources, but it is no substitute for the work of education,” explains Zuppi. “Schools do not compete with machines in providing quick answers, but teach us to ask the questions that make life human. No algorithm can take the place of a teacher’s gaze, which encourages, corrects, understands and guides. This gaze (of teachers) deserves great recognition.”

“The third challenge is perhaps the most profound,” he adds, “preserving the ability to think. In a world saturated with stimuli, information and connections, we need places where we can learn to pause, to explore more deeply, and to distinguish the true from the false, the essential from the superficial. Young people need adults who demonstrate that true knowledge is not the accumulation of data, but wisdom for life.”

“At the start of the school year, we do not merely wish for good results. We hope that our schools will be communities capable of fostering trust, passion and responsibility; places where no one feels excluded; laboratories of humanity where technology serves people, rather than people serving technology,” concludes Zuppi. “We hope they will cherish the unhurried time for listening, studying, marvelling and genuine dialogue, without which no inner freedom can flourish. School is not a place to be rushed through: it remains, even today, a crucial building ground for our shared future.”