Two teachings stand out among those Francis has recently offered us: the exhortation "Dear Amazonia", which constitutes the Pope's contribution to the ongoing synodal process on that region, and his observations on the "Global Pact educational "(Instrumentum laboris, 2020), in the framework of the work related to the workshop World Conference of the Education called by him for next May (grade later: due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was postponed without a scheduled date).

The apostolic exhortation "Dear Amazonia" (2-II-2020) is a letter full of affection and challenges. From the beginning, Francis declares the focus that enlightens him and guide: "All that the Church offers must be incarnated in an original way in every part of the world, so that the Bride of Christ may acquire multiform faces that better manifest the inexhaustible richness of grace" (n. 6).

Impregnated with affection and challenges

From there he sets out his four "dreams" (parallel to the "diagnoses" of the synod) for Amazonia, which are described in the respective chapters.

1) The social dream: the promotion of the rights of the poorest, the least. We must turn "indignation" in the face of exploitation and crimes, not into hatred, but into the restoration of "dignity"; into the promotion of the sense of fraternity and communion that springs especially from faith in Christ; into the culture of meeting and social dialogue, above all with the poorest; into harmony with the earth and the surrounding nature.

2) The cultural dream seeks to preserve the beauty that shines in cultures and, therefore, intercultural dialogue. Inculturation, the work of the Gospel, is an educational task, the meaning of which is always "to cultivate without uprooting, to make grow without weakening identity, promote without invading" (n. 28). Attention, for this, to the poets, who help to preserve and communicate the values of cultures among themselves. Attention should also be paid to the concrete questions that intercultural dialogue raises in relation to families, the media and the meaning of "quality of life".

3) The ecological dream leads to respect and care for the earth. A dream that must start from "human ecology" and openness to God, the author of nature. Therefore, only a culture that fosters the contemplation of beauty - which in these peoples comes from ancient times - can help us to listen to the cry of the earth and its creatures. This in turn requires a "social ecology", which governments must promote with regulations and information.

For the ecological dream to become a reality, the document points out, we need a determined Education of "ecological habits": "There will be no healthy and sustainable ecology, capable of transforming anything, if people do not change, if they are not stimulated to opt for another lifestyle, less voracious, more serene, more respectful, less anxious, more fraternal" (n. 58). In this sense, our consumerist and individualistic culture must also be thoroughly evangelized.

4) Finally, the ecclesial dream, because the Church and the Gospel message are incarnated in all cultures for the good of all. It is important to realize that not only individuals but cultures as such are active protagonists of evangelization, inasmuch as they are mediators of authentically human values that are open to faith (cf. n. 67).

For this reason, the inculturation of the Gospel implies recognizing the wisdom of cultures, also of pre-Columbian cultures. It requires respecting the symbols that open them to transcendence, without labeling them as idolatry, superstition or paganism, even if they manifest an imperfect, partial or mistaken religiosity. It supposes to appreciate many of their traditional values, in relation to God, the earth, the family, the work, the cult, the "beyond". These are values that are hard to accept for those of us immersed in late or liquid modernity; but they can help us, Francis maintains, to overcome our anxious consumerism and our urban isolation.

Along these lines, the Pope hopes that the centrality of the Eucharist, the resource to prayer and coexistence-especially at the ecumenical and interreligious level-together with the common work in favor of the most disadvantaged, will prevent us from being devoured by "earthly immanence, spiritual emptiness, comfortable self-centeredness, consumerist and self-destructive individualism" (n. 108).

Francis emphasizes the important contribution of women in the Church and in society. He points out the need to develop different ecclesial services, counting on the generosity of all and agreement with the condition and gifts of each Christian: laity, sacred ministers and religious. And concludes by invoking the protection of Mary, Mother of the Amazon.

Commitment and educational passion

In the current status Francis wishes to promote Education as a task, an art and a dynamic reality, with individual and social dimensions. His speech to the Congregation for the Catholic Education (20-II-2020) first points out four features of the movement educational pointing out how they can be promoted today.

1) The Education is an "ecological movement" in which four personal levels can be distinguished: the relationship of the person with God (spiritual level), with oneself (internal level), with others and (solidarity level) with all other beings, especially living beings (natural level). This must be translated into the corresponding pedagogical itineraries, as the encyclical Laudato si' (May 24, 2015) points out in its last part.

2) The Education as an "inclusive movement" must today explicitly address itself to all the "excluded". And this is "an integral part of the Christian salvific message". "Today," Francis observes, "it is necessary to accelerate this inclusive movement of the Education in order to put a stop to the throwaway culture, which originates from the rejection of fraternity as a constitutive element of humanity.

3) The Education as a "pacifying movement", builder and bearer of peace, is opposed to "egolatry", which generates fractures and oppositions at all levels, because it is afraid of diversity and differences. The Education must teach that "diversities do not hinder unity, indeed, they are indispensable for the richness of one's own identity and that of all". Indeed, and an element core topic for this is to teach discernment and understanding.

4) The Education as a "team movement" requires the participation of many people: families, teachers, civil and religious institutions, etc. But this team movement - Francis laments - has long since entered into crisis. And that is why we need promote a "global educational pact" among all those involved in the Education. The aim is clear: "To revive the commitment for and with the younger generations, renewing the passion for a more open and inclusive Education , capable of patient listening, constructive dialogue and mutual understanding"(Message for the launch of the Pact educational, 12-IX-2019).

In the second part of his speech, the Pope points out other current challenges of the "covenant educational": attitudes, method, concrete ways.

1) First of all, courage is needed: "The courage to place the person at the center [...]. The courage to invest the best energies [...]. The courage to train people available to put themselves at the service of the community" (Ibid.). The courage - he adds realistically - to pay educators well.

2) Secondly, the need for an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary Education (cf. Ap. Const. Veritatis gaudium, Proemio, 4c), capable of addressing the unity of knowledge, as well as the current fragmentation of many programs of study, especially in the face of the "ambiguous, conflicting or relativistic pluralism of convictions and cultural options" (Ibid.).

3) Finally, he formulates four concrete requests for the coming years: the essay of a directory on this topic; the establishment of a world Observatory; the update of the programs of study ecclesiastical ; the promotion of the "work pastoral university as an instrument of new evangelization".