Spotlight on Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV greets Brother Armin Altamirano Luistro, superior of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, during an audience with members of the order at the Vatican May 15, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

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This morning, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the larger Lasallian family. He noted the significance of this May 15, for not only is it the solemnity of St. John Baptist de La Salle, but it also marks the 300-year anniversary of the Church's recognition of the Institute as a religious order and the 75th anniversary of the declaration of De La Salle as patron saint of all educators.

‘Rich and Vast Educational Entity’

“After three centuries, it is wonderful to see how your presence continues to bear the freshness of a rich and vast educational entity, with which, in various parts of the world, you still devote yourselves to the formation of young people with enthusiasm, fidelity and a spirit of sacrifice,” Pope Leo said.

Their saint founder “loved to say, ”Your altar is the classroom,'” which created something new in the church: lay teachers and catechists who were “invested in the community with a genuine ‘ministry,’ following the principle of evangelizing by educating and educating by evangelizing.”

St. de La Salle introduced a new way of teaching and other innovations in order to confront the challenges at the time, he said. As problems arose, the saint sought “creative answers” and forged “new and often unexplored paths” instead of being discouraged.

Today, there are new obstacles to be faced, he said. “Think of the isolation caused by widespread relational models increasingly marked by superficiality, individualism and emotional instability; the spread of patterns of thinking weakened by relativism; and the prevalence of rhythms and lifestyles in which there is not enough room for listening, reflection and dialogue — at school, in the family, sometimes among peers themselves — with the resulting loneliness.”

Help Young People ‘to Grow in Harmony’

Even though young people are “a volcano of life, energy, feelings and ideas,” he said, they also need help “in order for this great wealth to grow in harmony, and to overcome what, albeit in a different way to the past, can still hinder their healthy development.”

Some “useful questions” to ask, he said, are “What are the most urgent challenges to be faced today in the world of young people? What values need to be promoted? What resources can we rely on?”

Pope Leo encouraged them to be like their founder and turn today’s challenges into “springboards to explore new ways, develop tools and adopt new languages to continue to touch the hearts of students, helping and encouraging them to face every obstacle with courage so that they may give the best of themselves in life, according to God’s plans.”

“The charism of the school, which you embrace with your fourth vow of teaching,” he said, is “a service to society and a valuable work of charity” as well as “one of the most beautiful and eloquent expressions of that priestly, prophetic and kingly ‘munus’ (role) that we have all received in baptism.”

“I hope that vocations to Lasallian religious consecration may grow, that they may be encouraged and promoted, in your schools and beyond, and that, in synergy with all the other formative components, they may contribute to inspiring joyful and fruitful paths of holiness among the young people who attend them,” he said.

Elsewhere on AI

The Vatican has released "Antiqua et nova" ("the old and the new"), a note "on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence". I strongly suggest all educators read it, even if (or perhaps especially if) you are not Catholic or religious, for the insights it offers. The document 'addresses the anthropological and ethical challenges raised by AI—issues that are particularly significant, as one of the goals of this technology is to imitate the human intelligence that designed it. For instance, unlike many other human creations, AI can be trained on the results of human creativity and then generate new “artifacts” with a level of speed and skill that often rivals or surpasses what humans can do, such as producing text or images indistinguishable from human compositions. This raises critical concerns about AI’s potential role in the growing crisis of truth in the public forum. Moreover, this technology is designed to learn and make certain choices autonomously, adapting to new situations and providing solutions not foreseen by its programmers, and thus, it raises fundamental questions about ethical responsibility and human safety, with broader implications for society as a whole. This new situation has prompted many people to reflect on what it means to be human and the role of humanity in the world.' [3].

The Vatican has released "Antiqua et nova" ("the old and the new"), a note "on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence". I strongly suggest all educators read it, even if (or perhaps especially if) you are not Catholic or religious, for the insights it offers. The document 'addresses the anthropological and ethical challenges raised by AI—issues that are particularly significant, as one of the goals of this technology is to imitate the human intelligence that designed it. For instance, unlike many other human creations, AI can be trained on the results of human creativity and then generate new “artifacts” with a level of speed and skill that often rivals or surpasses what humans can do, such as producing text or images indistinguishable from human compositions. This raises critical concerns about AI’s potential role in the growing crisis of truth in the public forum. Moreover, this technology is designed to learn and make certain choices autonomously, adapting to new situations and providing solutions not foreseen by its programmers, and thus, it raises fundamental questions about ethical responsibility and human safety, with broader implications for society as a whole. This new situation has prompted many people to reflect on what it means to be human and the role of humanity in the world.' [3].

David de Carvalho

Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame Australia

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” the new Pope said in his homily during his inauguration Mass.

“For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world,” he told the estimated 150,000 people gathered in and around St Peter’s Square.

“We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: ‘In the one Christ, we are one.’”

"We are called to offer God's love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people," he said on May 18 before a crowd of 200,000 gathered in a sun-drenched St. Peter's Square.

"I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world," the new pope said. " Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love."

Christians, he said, must offer a different witness "so that all may experience God's embrace."

"We want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world," Leo said.