The Pope Video: For the right to an education
In the Pope Video for January 2025 produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Francis asks that we pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.
The educational process for children and young people who migrate or are displaced due to war is interrupted due to the need to flee their homeland. In many cases, schools in conflict zones or refugee camps have limited access to educational material, adequate infrastructure and trained teachers.
Furthermore, when children and young people move to other countries or regions, their migration status can prevent them from accessing education and consequently from having a better future. This is why Pope Francis affirms in the video that “All children and youth have the right to go to school, regardless of their immigration status and when they come of age they be guaranteed the right to remain and continue their studies”
Pope Francis also recognises the Church’s commitments on the front line to assist with education in conflict zones across the world.
Jesuit Refugee Service
The dedication of the JRS can be seen across the world. The JRS is committed to working for the wellbeing and hope of refugees. They run pastoral care and psychosocial support programmes in detention centres and refugee camps. They provide humanitarian relief in emergency displacement situations. Education and livelihoods programmes provide skill development and opportunities for integration into host communities for those that are in extremely vulnerable situations.
Due its long-standing commitment to ensuring that those forced to flee their homes and communities are not deprived of their right to education and their path to a hopeful and just future, the JRS was a strategic partner in producing the English version of this video. “We are grateful to join Pope Francis in inviting people all over the world to pray that education aspirations remain at the heart of the life journey of migrants, refugees and all displaced persons” said Br. Michael Schöpf SJ, JRS International Director. “In all our projects worldwide, we witness how education offers refugees access to security, hope, and economic opportunities. It protects their sense of self, fosters agency, and promotes their integral development.”
Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, says that “Pope Francis has continually affirmed the need to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate with migrants and refugees”. He notes “These are attitudes that every human being can adopt and work towards incorporating into their daily lives”. He also reminds us that every stranger who knocks at our door offers us the possibility of encountering Jesus Christ, he shares Jesus’s words “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” in the Gospel of Matthew (25:35). Thus, Pope Francis reminds us in his video message, let’s never forget that whoever welcomes the foreigner, welcomes Jesus.
