On October 27, 2025, Rome’s cobblestone streets buzzed with the energy of thousands of teachers, students, and administrators gathered from around the world. The occasion? A special Holy Year celebration that would see Pope Leo XIV deliver a message poised to reshape the direction of Catholic education for years to come. With the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica as his backdrop, Leo XIV called on Catholic educators to shift their focus—not toward professional outcomes or utilitarian measures, but toward nurturing the spiritual lives of students and ensuring technology is used in ways that uphold human dignity.
The Pope’s remarks, delivered during a Mass for Jubilee pilgrims and formalized in a document he signed the previous day, represent an update to a foundational 1965 Vatican text. That earlier document, created during the Second Vatican Council, had set the tone for Catholic education in the modern era. Now, Leo XIV’s new directives are seen as both a reaffirmation and a bold expansion of those principles, reflecting the challenges and opportunities of education in 2025.
According to Vatican statistics, the Catholic Church is one of the globe’s largest educational providers, running more than 225,000 primary and secondary schools and enrolling roughly 2.5 million students at Catholic universities worldwide. It’s a system with reach and influence, and Leo XIV’s message is likely to reverberate in classrooms from Manila to Madrid, Lagos to Los Angeles.
In his address, the Pope urged Catholic teachers to "focus less on pre-professional outcomes and more on educating students to have rich spiritual lives and use technology in ways that keep human dignity front and center," as reported by the Associated Press. The timing of the message, during a Holy Year that traditionally emphasizes renewal and reflection, was no accident. Leo’s words were directed not only at educators but at the broader Catholic community, reminding them of the Church’s mission to serve the common good above all else.
Leo XIV, himself a product of Augustinian education and a member of the Augustinian religious order, drew on the legacy of St. Augustine—whose famous exhortation, “Tolle, lege” (“Take up and read”), has long inspired Catholic scholarship. In his document, the Pope reiterated that parents are the primary educators of their children, and Catholic schools must work alongside them, not supplant them. "Catholic teachers must themselves be models for their students," he wrote, a sentiment echoed across multiple news outlets including NewsNation and Devdiscourse.
One of the Pope’s most resonant lines, cited by both NewsNation and the Associated Press, was: "Educators are called to a responsibility that goes beyond their work contract: their witness is worth as much as their lessons." This call for teachers to serve as role models, not merely transmitters of knowledge, was accompanied by a plea for ongoing training in both academic and spiritual fields. The message was clear: excellence in Catholic education means fostering character and conscience, not just competence.
Leo XIV’s directives also addressed the metrics by which educational success is measured. He rejected the prevailing trend of evaluating schools by efficiency or output, arguing instead for a vision rooted in "dignity, justice, and the capacity to serve the common good." In his words, "Such a vision goes against a purely mercantilist approach that often forces education today to be measured in terms of functionality and practical utility." This stance, as reported by the Associated Press, directly challenges the global shift toward standardized testing and job-readiness as the primary benchmarks of educational achievement.
Drawing on the priorities previously outlined by Pope Francis, Leo XIV underscored the importance of inclusion, ecology, and the common good. But he didn’t stop there. He added three new priorities for Catholic educators: first, to emphasize the "interior spiritual life" of students; second, to use a "disarmed and disarming" language that avoids violence; and third, to promote the responsible use of technology—including artificial intelligence—in ways that keep human dignity foremost.
"The Catholic school is a place where faith, culture and life cross paths," Leo wrote, as quoted in both the Associated Press and NewsNation reports. "It’s not just an institution, but a living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction." This holistic vision of education is meant to counteract what Leo described as a "purely mercantilist approach"—one that, in his view, reduces education to a matter of economic utility rather than moral and spiritual formation.
The Pope’s directives notably avoided some of the more contentious debates that have roiled Catholic education in recent years, such as the firing of gay teachers in the United States. By sidestepping these polemics, Leo XIV appeared to focus on unity and the shared mission of Catholic schools, rather than reigniting divisive controversies. According to the Associated Press, he "didn’t mention issues such as teachers’ private lives or sexual orientation," signaling an intent to keep the conversation centered on spiritual and educational fundamentals.
Technology, and particularly artificial intelligence, occupied a prominent place in the Pope’s message. Leo XIV called for "responsible use of technology, including artificial intelligence, that respects human dignity," as highlighted by Devdiscourse and other outlets. In an age when digital tools are reshaping everything from lesson plans to student assessments, the Pope’s warning carries weight. He urged Catholic educators to ensure that technological advances serve the person, rather than the other way around.
The Pope’s message was both an affirmation of the Church’s educational legacy and a challenge to adapt to new realities. While rooted in tradition, Leo XIV’s vision is anything but static. By emphasizing the role of parents, the need for teacher formation, and the dangers of a purely utilitarian approach, he sought to reclaim education as a space for the flourishing of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
For the millions of students and teachers in Catholic schools worldwide, these directives are likely to shape curricula, teacher training, and even the daily rhythms of classroom life. The Pope’s call for "disarmed and disarming" language, his insistence on cooperation with parents, and his warning against the misuse of technology all point toward a future where Catholic education remains distinctive—rooted in faith, open to the world, and unafraid to ask the big questions.
As the Holy Year celebration continues in Rome, the ripple effects of Leo XIV’s message are just beginning to be felt. For Catholic educators everywhere, the challenge is clear: to be witnesses as much as teachers, to nurture souls as well as minds, and to ensure that the dignity of every student remains at the heart of the educational mission.
