Article: Catholic higher education from the prophetic and servant leadership of Pope Francis 

The death of Pope Francis represents the end of a historical cycle and, at the same time, the flowering of a legacy that spans generations. His leadership was more than institutional: it was a living expression of the Gospel incarnate. Francis did not simply occupy the Chair of Peter; he descended from it, bending down before wounded humanity, offering care, listening and hope. He was, par excellence, a servant and prophetic leader. 

From the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has established a new style of ecclesiastical leadership, breaking with formalisms and self-referential centralities. His leadership, inspired by Jesus of Nazareth, placed the human person at the center. For Francis, leading is serving: it is walking together, listening before speaking, caring before judging. It is a leadership that approaches the pains of the world and, based on them, denounces injustices, calls for solidarity and announces paths of transformation. 

This stance was clearly reflected in his vision of education. Francis understood like few others that education is key to any lasting change. In his proposal for the Global Compact on Education, he called on governments, families, schools, universities and religions to join forces to educate individuals who are well-rounded, conscious, supportive and committed to the common good. For him, education is an act of hope. But it is an active, embodied hope that transforms realities and humanizes relationships. 

Inspired by a profound Christian spirituality, Francis reminded us that “in order to feel like a person, a person must think, feel and act.” This connection between mind, heart and hands summarizes his proposal for a comprehensive education that goes beyond technical knowledge and touches on the ethical, spiritual, social and emotional dimensions of human existence. As the Church’s teaching reminds us, educating in the light of the Christian faith is to promote dynamics of communion, in which encounter is an indispensable condition for learning and personal growth. 

It is also in this context that the Catholic university is challenged to be a sign of prophecy and service. In a world marked by fragmentation and a technocratic logic that often ignores human dignity, higher education must recover its original vocation: to educate for truth, fraternity and care. As expressed in the Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, the university mission is inseparable from the commitment to the common good, to the dialogue between faith and reason, and to the cultivation of an integral ecology — strong hallmarks of Francis’ thought. 

In the field of education, Francis challenged us to break down the physical and symbolic walls that separate people, ideas and cultures. He taught us that true education is that which promotes encounter, collaboration and service. “The greatest failure of an educator is to have to teach behind closed doors,” he warned. For this reason, his leadership calls us to think of an education that is networked, open, interdependent and committed to life. 

His denunciation of the culture of waste, indifference and individualism is articulated with his proposal for a new civilizing pact: educating for fraternity, for caring for our common home and for building bridges between people and nations. From this perspective, Catholic higher education is not only a space for the production of knowledge, but a place for listening, welcoming and human protagonism, especially for the most vulnerable. 

Francis’s leadership leaves us with the legacy of an education that evangelizes through presence, that transforms through listening, and that liberates through the promotion of human dignity. He made his own life a work of art—a work of prophetic gestures, choices, and words. In times of uncertainty, his memory inspires us to lead by serving, and to educate by loving. 

Because, as he taught us, “every change requires an educational journey” — and every educational journey is only sustainable when it is born from encounter, service and the courage to dream of a better world. 

Brother Manuir José Mentges – Rector of PUCRS 

_{*Article published in a shortened form in GZH this Monday, May 5th out of 2025}