Vatican Announces International Congress on School and University Pastoral Care for October 2026

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 09.22.2026).- On October 22 and 23, 2026, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education will host an International Congress on School and University Pastoral Care in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The goal is to contribute to what Pope Leo XIV calls «a new educational stage» in his Apostolic Letter “Charting New Maps of Hope.”

Together with thinkers, academics, and representatives from the educational and cultural spheres of our time, the event will explore themes fundamental to the Holy See and the Holy Father’s magisterium — such as interiority, digitalization, and peace –, framed within the three points Pope Leo XIV has integrated into the Global Compact on Education.

The event will feature keynote presentations offering participants opportunities for in-depth study and dialogue within a synodal atmosphere of prayer and listening, complemented by artistic performances and practical activities.

Individuals involved in school and university pastoral care across the Catholic world, as well as teachers, chaplains, and representatives of educational institutions, are invited to participate.

During the Congress, participants will be received in an audience by Pope Leo XIV.

Following the opening remarks by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the program will continue with sessions dedicated to listening, reflection, and dialogue, structured around three thematic lectures:

• Cultivating Interiority, moderated by H.E. Msgr. Carlo Maria Polvani;
• The Digital Human, moderated by H.E. Msgr. Paul Tighe;
• Educating for Peace, moderated by Msgr. Matthias Ambros.

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