(ANS – Paris – October 1, 2026) – On the afternoon of Friday, September 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV, as part of his apostolic journey to France, was received at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris.

His presence was of great significance in conveying a message of peace, dialogue, and collaboration among all those committed to peace and the common good in a world that must contend with technologies that may risk marginalizing the human person.

In his message calling for peace in people’s hearts and among nations, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the role of education in today’s world, urging all those committed to peace to work for human security through education.

As a member of the International Catholic Centre for Cooperation with UNESCO (CCIC), Fr. Albert Kabuge, representative of the Salesian Congregation and active in advocacy initiatives for the welfare of young people, was also present at the Pope’s audience on September 25.

The message delivered by Pope Leo XIV to UNESCO encourages the Salesians of Don Bosco in the 138 countries where they are present around the world to continue their mission “to work with and for young people.”

Pope Leo XIV invited all the delegates present to be witnesses of peace and love and to stand alongside young people, who experience many forms of poverty in today’s world.

To ensure that the voices of young people are heard in international institutions, it is important to carry forward the Salesian educational mission, keeping in mind the words of Pope Leo XIV:

To encourage all members of society to understand that education begins at birth: we are born naked and poor, we need everything (…); to forget the story of our birth is to forget that of our life (…); to keep alive the memory of our humanity (…); education and culture must care for the human person (…); peace is authentic when it springs from the virtue of justice (…); peace leads us to recognize the other who stands before us (…); technology must be at the service of humankind and not for the purposes of domination.

“We are all called to bear witness to a communion open to the diversity of every culture, to build peace with others, and this peace must come from the heart,” Fr. Kabuge commented.

“Let us further develop trust through education and collaborate with this United Nations organization, ‘UNESCO for the peoples,’ alongside all the initiatives of the Salesian world that are actions for peace.”