Pope Leo XIV at UNESCO: Human dignity, culture, and the Church’s contribution to education and development

The useful part

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How it works

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• To be human, then, implies a responsibility before history: the human being is one who grows, learns and works with both hands and mind.
• By that labor, we may cultivate the earth or disfigure it, create works of art or destroy them.
• At this particular juncture, we must recognize that the most terrible of "human works" is war, for then science itself is placed at the service of an inhumane will to destroy and to kill.

What to take from it

Indeed, promoting education, science and culture is impossible without at the same time improving the lives of men and women who are engaged in these activities. Indeed, every generation is called to grapple with this question, especially in the face of tragedies that, regrettably, occur even today. It is no longer viewed as a summons to care and responsibility, but as a product to be exploited.

Example or evidence

• The effort to build a just world is in fact the basis of international cooperation.
• The commitment to building a just world is part of a mission we have learned to share in the course of history.
• Indeed, this tragic alternative reminds us that to be human is to be free by nature.
• In this regard, the Preamble of the Constitution of UNESCO opens with words that retain a striking relevance today — as we saw at the "Wall of Peace" — "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the...

Details worth keeping

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Related coverage

• Zenit: Pope's General Audience, September 9, 2026, on Human Dignity as a Gift and a Responsibility
• Zenit: Pope's General Audience, September 23, 2026, on the meaning of human activity in the universe