In a speech brimming with energy, humour, and the gravitas of a teacher-pope, Pope Leo XIV threw down a challenge to the world’s students: “Don’t let the algorithm write your story!”
Addressing thousands gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of the World of Education, the former physics and mathematics teacher swapped formulas for faith, inviting the young to aim “to the heights” — not toward digital illusions or fleeting pleasure, but toward truth, freedom, and Christ.
“Do not settle for appearances or fads; a life stifled by fleeting pleasures will never satisfy us. Instead, let each of you say in your heart: ‘I dream of more, Lord; I long for something greater; inspire me!’”
Generation Plus: Faith with Drive
The Pope opened by recalling Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, the young Italian student canonised earlier this Jubilee Year, who lived by two mottos: “To live without faith is not living but simply getting along,” and “To the heights.”
Pope Leo turned these mottos into a rallying cry for today’s youth, inviting them to become the “generation plus” — a generation marked by extra courage, extra depth, and extra faith.
“Have the courage to live life to the fullest,” he urged. “Let your generation be remembered for the extra drive you brought to the Church and to the world.”
Education: The Engine of Change
Moving from inspiration to action, the Pope placed education at the centre of his message: “one of the most beautiful and powerful tools for changing the world.”
He linked his message to Pope Francis’s Global Compact on Education, calling young people not mere recipients but “protagonists” of the educational mission.
“You are called to be truth-speakers and peace-makers,” he said. “Involve your peers in the search for truth and the cultivation of peace — with your lives, your words, and your daily actions.”
Constellations of Meaning
In one of the most memorable moments of the speech, the Pope turned to the night sky.
“How many stars are there in the observable universe?” he asked with a teacher’s grin. “A sextillion — that’s a one followed by twenty-one zeros!”
But the astronomy lesson quickly became a parable. Even though humanity can see only a handful of stars with the naked eye, he explained, they are enough to form constellations and give direction.
“So it is with you,” he said. “Each of you is a star, but together you form a constellation. Education brings people together into lively communities and organizes ideas into constellations of meaning.”
Quoting the Book of Daniel — “Those who lead many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever” (Dan 12:3) — Pope Leo reminded students that education is a form of light: “We are stars indeed, because we are sparks of God.”
Education for the Interior Life
The first new challenge Pope Leo outlined is what he called “education of the interior life.”
He warned against a culture that fills minds but empties hearts. “Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is,” he said.
Citing Saint Augustine, the Pope invited young people to embrace the restlessness of their hearts as a sign of divine longing: “Do not settle — you are made for something greater; do not simply get along, but live.”
Digital Prophets, Not Tourists
The second challenge hit close to home for this hyper-connected generation.
“You live in the digital world — and that’s not a bad thing,” he said, “but do not let the algorithm write your story! Be the authors yourselves; use technology wisely, but do not let technology use you.”
With characteristic flair, the Pope coined a distinction: “Instead of being tourists on the web, be prophets in the digital world!”
He praised Saint Carlo Acutis, the teenage computer whiz who turned the internet into a tool for evangelisation, urging students to “learn to humanise the digital, building it as a space of fraternity and creativity — not a cage where you lock yourselves in.”
Education for Peace
Finally, Pope Leo addressed what he called “the heart of the new Global Compact on Education”: education for peace.
He lamented how the world’s future is “threatened by war and hatred,” but insisted that the answer lies not in politics alone but in disarming hearts.
“It is not enough to silence weapons; we must disarm hearts, renouncing all violence and vulgarity,” he said. “A disarming and disarmed education creates equality and growth for all.”
He called for a renewed commitment to equal access to education, ensuring that no young person is left behind because of privilege or poverty.
The Final Word: Look Higher Still
As the crowd listened in silence, the Pope ended where he began — looking to the stars.
“Do not look to shooting stars, on which fragile wishes are entrusted,” he said. “Look higher still, toward Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, who will always guide you.”
In the glow of the Jubilee, Pope Leo XIV left his audience not with formulas but with fire — a vision of education that begins in the heart, stretches to the heavens, and refuses to be scripted by the algorithm.
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