Vatican City: Marking the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis, Pope Leo XIV has issued a new apostolic letter titled Drawing New Maps of Hope, calling for a renewed global commitment to education that restores human dignity, fosters justice, and rebuilds trust in a world scarred by war, inequality, and digital fragmentation.
Signed on October 27 and released by the Vatican on October 28, the letter reaffirms the enduring relevance of Gravissimum Educationis while expanding its vision to meet the challenges of today’s complex social and technological landscape. The pope reflects on the millions of children still deprived of education and urges Christian educators to respond creatively to crises shaped by migration, conflict, and poverty.
Pope Leo XIV emphasizes that the church’s educational heritage is not a static legacy but a living response to the needs of every era. Drawing from the wisdom of Saint Augustine and centuries of Catholic educational tradition from monastic schools to Jesuit colleges, pope highlights the ongoing vitality of the church’s charisms in forming minds and hearts. He honors the contributions of figures such as Saint Joseph Calasanz, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Saint Marcellin Champagnat, and Saint John Bosco, whose pioneering work made education accessible to the poor and marginalized. The letter also celebrates women educators like Frances Cabrini, Maria Montessori, Josephine Bakhita, and Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose vision expanded opportunities for girls, migrants, and the disadvantaged.
Education, the pope writes, is a collective mission involving teachers, students, families, church leaders, and society at large. Naming Saint John Henry Newman as co-patron of the educational world alongside Saint Thomas Aquinas, he praises Newman’s model of intellectual depth combined with humanity and faith. Pope Leo XIV calls for renewed empathy and openness in classrooms and universities, where knowledge must be integrated with moral and emotional formation. Education, he says, must form the whole person, mind, heart, and conscience, and teachers must see their vocation as one of service rooted in compassion and justice.
Echoing Pope Paul VI, the letter warns against reducing education to economic productivity or technical training. True education, pope insists, recognizes each person as a unique being with a story and a calling. In a digitalized world that often measures human worth by efficiency, he urges educators to defend human dignity and foster the common good.
Pope Leo XIV situates his reflection within the global reality of division and distrust. Using the image of fixed stars to describe timeless principles, he stresses that truth is discovered in community, freedom entails responsibility, and authority must be exercised in service. Catholic education, he says, must be a force for rebuilding trust and fraternity among peoples and nations.
Recalling his years of pastoral work in Peru, pope describes education as a patient process of growth and transformation. Catholic schools, he writes, should be communities where faith, culture, and life are harmoniously intertwined. He highlights the importance of forming teachers who are not only academically skilled but spiritually and culturally grounded. The family, he reaffirms, remains the first and primary educator. Schools and institutions can assist but never replace the formative role of parents. Collaboration among families, parishes, and educational institutions is vital for a coherent and holistic formation.
Integral education, according to the pope, connects every dimension of human life and makes faith the breath that animates all learning. He calls for an education that cultivates peace, reconciliation, and responsibility for creation, noting that environmental degradation and social injustice are deeply intertwined. Education, he says, must form consciences capable of choosing what is right over what is merely advantageous.
In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and digital systems, Pope Leo XIV warns against the danger of letting technology dominate the human spirit. He urges the responsible use of digital tools that enhance learning without diminishing relationships or creativity. No algorithm, he insists, can replace the imagination, empathy, and moral discernment that define authentic education.
Building on the legacy of Pope Francis and the Global Compact on Education, the pope outlines three priorities for the present era: nurturing interior life among young people, developing a humane digital culture that places the person before the algorithm, and forming new generations in peace, dialogue, and reconciliation. He envisions an educational culture of encounter based on cooperation rather than competition and on shared discernment rather than rigid hierarchy.
Concluding the letter, Pope Leo XIV invites educators to confront today’s challenges, such as social instability, inequality, and digital distraction, with courage, generosity, and hope. He calls for an education that includes the poor, heals divisions, and inspires solidarity. When education loses sight of the poor, the pope warns, it loses its very soul. Through Drawing New Maps of Hope, Pope Leo XIV reaffirms education as one of humanity’s greatest acts of trust, an enduring path toward dignity, peace, and the unity of the human family.