Cardinal de Mendonça visits Argentine home of Scholas Occurrentes

By Paolo Ondarza

The Prefect of the Dicastery of Culture and Education, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, made a surprise visit to the historic headquarters of Scholas Occurrentes, the international educational movement created by Pope Francis at the beginning of his pontificate.

On Wednesday, the cardinal visited Barrio 31 in Buenos Aires, where he met with the founders of Scholas, José María del Corral and Enrique Palmeyro.

When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the two founders began to bring together students and teachers from schools of different religions and social classes, public and private, to foster a culture of encounter after the crises and fractures of 2001.

A big family

According to a press release issued by Scholas Occurrentes, Cardinal de Mendonça also listened to several testimonies from young people participating in sports and cultural activities in different locations in the country, such as in the Villa Fiorito neighborhood of Buenos Aires and in El Impenetrable, in the province of Chaco.

The cardinal expressed his gratitude for the meeting, expressing his joy at being in the presence of a large family. He said that experiencing this atmosphere of coexistence – seeing the eyes, feeling the hope – is worth a thousand words.

He added that he felt the responsibility, in accordance with the mandate received from Pope Francis, to continue to help in the educational and cultural fields in which Scholas works.

The fresco of dreams and suffering

At the invitation of the young people of the Scholas community of Barrio 31, Cardinal de Mendonça contributed to the fresco created by the young people, where their dreams and sufferings are expressed. The Vatican Prefect was invited to graphically express the most difficult decision he has made in his life.

Last May, at the Vatican, the cardinal participated in a meeting organized by Scholas Occurrentes during which the University of Sens, created by decree of Pope Francis, was presented.

Activities at the Barrio 31 headquarters

Various cultural, artistic and sporting activities – including the International Football League Pelota de Trapo, volleyball, boxing and many others – take place in the historic headquarters of Scholas, in Barrio 31, inaugurated in 2018 by the Bishop of Rome via videoconference.

Performances by the Colon Theater have taken place there, and every year student delegations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, among other important international academic institutions, participate.

New location in Indonesia

Scholas Occurrentes is now present on five continents, with a direct presence in 70 countries. On September 4, during the apostolic visit of Pope Francis, it will inaugurate its first branch in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia.