The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to UNESCO and Fordham University’s Center for Catholic School Leadership collaborated on Education—A Path to Love, a conference exploring the complexity of global education and the impact of Catholic education on all nations. The conference took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, Nov. 9.
Keynote presenters at the conference included His Eminence Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who delivered an overview of the conference theme; His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former secretary-general of the United Nations, who spoke about Education and Globalization; His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, archbishop of New York, who discussed the Education of Person; and His Eminence Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, archbishop of Ranci, India, and president of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India, who delivered the culminating address. The conference concluded with a message from The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI.
The theme of the conference was inspired by the Holy Father’s encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. On the 50th anniversary of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to UNESCO, His Holiness Pope John Paul II stressed the importance of education for peace and solidarity, quoting from UNESCO’s own constitution, “if wars are born in people’s minds, it is in the human spirit that defenses of peace must be built.”
The conference, under the patronage of UNESCO, was co-directed by Monsignor Francesco Follo, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to UNESCO, and Gerald M. Cattaro, Ed.D, associate professor and director of the Center for Catholic School Leadership at Fordham University in New York.
Look for a feature article on the conference in an upcoming issue of Inside Fordham.
