Education, Integral Human Development, and Pope Francis' Call for a Global Compact: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

Ten years ago, in March 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, taking the papal name Francis. Pope Francis has had a profound impact—some would argue a transformational impact, on the Catholic Church and on the world. To celebrate ten years of his papacy, the idea came about to put together a special issue of The Review of Faith & International Affairs on one aspect of his magisterium: his vision for education and integral human development, including the idea of a Global Compact on Education. The essays gathered in this special issue consider Pope Francis’ vision and how it may be relevant for schools and universities (Catholic or not) as well as for businesses and our understanding of the economy and integral human development.

Keywords:

• Pope Francis
• education
• integral human development
• global compact on education

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and may not represented the views of UNESCO, the members of its Executive Board, or the countries they represent.

Notes

1 On the Global Compact on Education, see Congregation for Catholic Education (2020).

2 As noted by Wodon (2021), one in seven primary school students in sub-Saharan Africa is enrolled in a Catholic school.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Quentin Wodon

Quentin Wodon is Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa. Previously, he worked at the World Bank, including as Lead Economist, Lead Poverty Specialist, and manager of the unit on values and development.