The Church in Spain wants to make its “educational constellation” visible”

Luis de la Fuente, Francesc TorralbThe Salesians and the Lluc Choir School are among the ten winners of the “Stella” awards with which the General Council of the Church in Education (CGIE) wants to highlight the educational work of the Church, including that which goes largely unnoticed.

The CGIE, created a year and a half ago by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, brings together some seventy representatives from schools, universities, religious orders, and teaching staff. The president of the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture, Monsignor Alfonso Carrasco Rouco, The Bishop of Lugo has presented this Council as a continuation of the Church and Education Congress which was held in 2024.

For the bishop, the Church's experience in education is also a contribution to society: "It is irresponsible not to do everything in our power to address all the challenges facing education in Spain; we cannot stand aside, education is everyone's responsibility and must be geared towards the common good.".

Awards to recognize "the common good"«

The newly established Stella Awards recognize outstanding achievements in each of the nine areas in which the Council works. The Council's Secretary General, Carlos Esteban, explained that these awards aim to acknowledge some of the shining stars who, when they shine, contribute to the common good and whose value lies in their collective efforts to pave the way.

The award winners are part of an educational constellation with countless stars: “They all shine brightly, even though we haven't named them today.” The awards ceremony will take place on October 28 at the Pontifical University of Salamanca.

In addition to Torralba, De la Fuente, the Salesians, and Lluc, awards will be given to the Colegio Nuestra Señora de los Infantes in Toledo, possibly the oldest in Spain at nearly 1,500 years old; the Chair of Innovation and Digital Mental Health at the Comillas Pontifical University; the Sisters of Our Lady of Compassion, for their work in special education for over two centuries; the project “Theater Lives in My School,” by religion teacher Patricia Mármol; and the illustrator Fano. A special award will be given to the School of Salamanca on its 500th anniversary.

New website

The Council has also launched the website generalcouncilofchurchineducation.org, which the director of the Commission's secretariat, Antonio Roura, has defined as "a space for meeting, knowledge and participation", and the first issue of the CGIE Notebooks collection, entitled Church and education. An educational constellation at the service of the person and the common good.

The next step, planned for 2027 or 2028, is a white paper that, according to Carlos Esteban, will address “the essential issues that define, illuminate and inspire the presence of the Church in education” and will be developed through a participatory process.

The Council also aims to bring its humanist vision of education to the public debate, without limiting itself to reacting to political issues; along these lines, the Commission has already met with the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Milagros Tolón.

The Bishop of Lugo also referred to the recent Leo XIV's journey to France, where the Pope called for freedom of education in the midst of the pre-election campaign. Carrasco evoked the French case "in case anyone recognizes something similar happening in Spain when elections approach." He also recalled that in Magnifica humanitas, In his encyclical on artificial intelligence, the Pope dedicates several passages to education and emphasizes access to the truth.

His conclusion: “We have a Pope who understands very deeply the meaning of education.”.