Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education chairman and La Union Bishop Daniel Presto plans to promote peace education in all Catholic schools following Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” which means “All Brothers.”
In his message for the International Day of Education on Wednesday, Jan. 24, Bishop Presto cited the importance of maintaining peace and keeping the students safe inside the school premises.
In “Fratelli Tutti,” the Pontiff emphasizes that in the common home, we all live as one family and proposes concrete actions to restore the world.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) focuses the observance of the International Day of Education this year on the theme “Learning for Lasting Peace,” which calls for peace and safety for all students.
UNESCO is particularly dedicating the day to the crucial role education and teachers play in countering hate speech.
“We are committed to promoting peace education which is part of transformative education particularly in Catholic schools primarily to help avoid all forms of violence,” said Bishop Presto over Radio Veritas.
The Church leader said, he will push for the promotion and strengthening of brotherhood to attain a peaceful school environment for the young which he said suffers from different forms of violence such as war, racism, discrimination, inequality and hate speech among others.
“Peace education highlights the role played by education in attaining peace. Teachers must encourage their students to live in peace and harmony with others despite the threat of violence,” Bishop Presto said.