Pope Leo XIV has said that Catholic school teachers should be “models in life" as well as "models of faith" during what he described as a teacher's "pilgrimage of discipleship". He also urged the students under their care to try and listen to "God's voice" calling to their young hearts.
Speaking to teachers from Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland on 5 July in the Vatican as part of the Jubilee year, the pontiff said students will “look to you particularly as to how you teach and how you live".
Students from the Diocese of Copenhagen in Denmark joined the teachers for the Pope's address (school in the UK is in session for another week). The Pope told the young people to “remember that God has created each one of you with a purpose and a mission in this life".
“Use this opportunity for listening, for prayer, so that you may hear more clearly God’s voice calling you deep within your hearts,” Leo said.
“I would add that today, so often, we lose the ability to listen – to really listen.
"We listen to music, we have our ears flooded constantly with all kinds of digital input, but sometimes we forget to listen to our own hearts. And it’s in our hearts that God speaks to us, that God calls us and invites us to know him better and to live in his love.
"And through that listening you might be open to allowing God’s grace to strengthen your faith in Jesus, so that you might more readily share that gift with others."
Leo said this need to truly listen to God applies to the teachers, too, “given your important role in the formation of today’s youth".
“They’ll look to you particularly as to how you teach and how you live," he added. "I hope that, each day, you will nurture your relationship with Christ, who gives us the pattern of all authentic, so that, in turn, you may guide and encourage those entrusted to your care to follow Christ in their own lives.
“And finally, when all of you return home, please remember that a pilgrimage does not end, it shifts its focus to the daily ‘pilgrimage of discipleship'.
"We are all pilgrims and we are always pilgrims, walking as we seek to follow the Lord, and as we seek the path that is truly ours in life.
"That’s certainly not easy, but with the help of the Lord, the intercession of the saints, and by encouraging one another, you can be certain that, as long as you remain faithful, trusting always in God’s mercy, the experience of this pilgrimage will continue to bear fruit throughout your lives."
The Pope's comments come at a time when Catholic private schools in the UK are under <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/uk-private-catholic-schools-oppose-government-vat-raid/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">increasing pressure due to the Labour government's tax policy</mark></a>. There are also concerns about whether Catholic children are being sufficiently catechised in the integrity of the faith by their parents and by their teachers. <br><br><a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/the-rot-in-catholic-education-and-governance-revealed-by-an-mps-vote-abortion-up-to-birth/"><strong><em><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">RELATED: A Catholic MP’s vote for abortion up to birth reveals the rot in UK governance and religious formation</mark></em></strong></a>
