In his first apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi te” (“I have loved you”), released on Oct. 9, Pope Leo XIV refers to Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founding of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and De La Salle’s vision to provide free education to children in service of God.
Begun by Pope Francis and finished by Pope Leo, the document focuses on caring for the poor. “Love for the poor — whatever the form their poverty may take — is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God,” the pope said.
In a section titled “The Church and education of the poor,” Pope Leo wrote:
“Inspired by the same sensitivity, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, realizing the injustice caused by the exclusion of the children of workers and ordinary people from the educational system of France at that time, founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the 17th century, with the ideal of offering them free education, solid formation, and a fraternal environment. De La Salle saw the classroom as a place for human development, but also for conversion. In his colleges, prayer, method, discipline and sharing were combined. Each child was considered a unique gift from God, and the act of teaching was a service to the kingdom of God (No. 69).”
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