Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Matt EmersonSeptember 16, 2015

The Washington Post (via veteran Catholic journalist David Gibson) has published an overview (including excerpts) of two interviews recently given by Pope Francis. The interviews cover a number of topics and provide much to ponder in anticipation of his visit. His remarks on education caught my attention: "On playing it safe or taking risks: 'Life without problems is dull. It’s boring. Man has, within him, the need to face and solve conflicts and problems. Obviously, an education to not have problems is an aseptic education.'"

These comments resonate with my experience of Jesuit education, which is often an experience that unsettles, which leaves more questions than it answers. One of my colleagues, speaking of his Jesuit education, said it "ruined" him, meaning it shattered his simple view of the world, a view that didn't see society's blemishes and injustices. 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández declared that the Vatican will only validate reports of Marian apparitions in “exceptional” cases that incur the special interest of the pope.
A Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinJuly 17, 2024
The 58-year-old Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça is widely recognized not only as a poet but also as one of the leading intellectuals of the Roman Curia.
Gerard O’ConnellJuly 17, 2024
Former President Donald Trump appears with vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance during the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
At one time, the presence of Catholics on both major-party tickets would have been cause for celebration. But now Mr. Vance and Mr. Biden reflect the political divisions among U.S. Catholics.