Leo XIV received the Lasallian community today, on the third centenary of its approval and enunciated the problem’s of today’s youth – relativism, rhythms that are not reflective, individualism, loneliness.
Newsdesk (15/05/2025 13:10, Gaudium Press) Pope Leo XIV met with the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasallians), who are commemorating the third centenary of the Bull In apostolicae dignitatis solio , with which Pope Benedict XIII approved the Institute and the rule of that community with an emphasis on education.
The celebration that now brings joy to Lasallians also adds to the declaration, 75 years ago, of Saint John Baptist de La Salle as the “Heavenly Patron of all educators,” something that Pius XII did.
Pope Francis recalled that Saint John Baptist de La Salle carried out something like a “pedagogical revolution” in his time, offering education not only to individual students but also to groups, and also extending it to the less fortunate classes: a “Christian school, free and open to all,” something that proved to be extremely relevant today.
“ All of this can only make us reflect, and also raise useful questions. What are the most urgent challenges facing today’s youth? What values should be promoted? What resources can we count on?” said Leo XIV.
The Pontiff first outlined how he views youth: “The young people of our time, like those of every era, are a volcano of life, energy, feelings, and ideas. This can be seen in the wonderful things they can accomplish in many fields. But they too need help to harmoniously cultivate such richness and overcome what, even in a different way than in the past, can still impede their healthy development.” In other words, the Pontiff does not apply the vision of the “noble savage” when considering the direction to give to youth.
The Pope illustrated his thought with an example:
“ If in the 17th century the use of Latin was an insurmountable barrier to communication for many, today there are other obstacles to face. Consider the isolation caused by increasingly widespread relational models, marked by superficiality, individualism, and emotional instability; the spread of thought patterns weakened by relativism; the prevalence of rhythms and lifestyles in which there is insufficient space for listening, reflection, and dialogue, in school, in the family, sometimes among peers, with the resulting loneliness.” In short, Leo XIV primarily points to the types of relationships in this modern, individualistic and cybernetic culture; to rhythms that do not favor human growth; and, importantly, to the prevailing relativism.
This situation, therefore, presents its own challenges. But just as Saint De La Salle faced them in his time, now “we can use them as springboards to explore paths, develop tools, and adopt new languages, with which to continue touching the hearts of students, helping and encouraging them to courageously face every obstacle to give their best in life, according to God’s plan.”
The Pope, always referring to the noble French saint, spoke of the Lasallian charism, “which you embrace with the fourth vow of teaching, [which] besides being a service to society and a precious work of charity, still appears today as one of the most beautiful and eloquent explanations of that priestly, prophetic and royal munus that we all received in Baptism.”
“ Therefore, I hope that vocations to Lasallian religious consecration may grow, be encouraged, and be promoted, in your schools and beyond, and that, in synergy with all the other formative components, they may contribute to fostering joyful and fruitful paths of holiness among the young people who attend them,” the Pontiff concluded, after which he imparted the Apostolic Blessing .
- With files from Gaudium Press Spanish
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