Pope Francis hosted a video chat with young people around the world yesterday morning.
The Pope answered questions from pupils on five continents via Google Hangouts as he launched Scholas.Social, a global social network for schools.
The call lasted almost 20 minutes and was broadcast at the third International Symposium for Education, which was organised by Scholas and held in Vatican City.
Among the questions, a Turkish boy asked the Pope about his hopes for the future.
Francis responded: “I don’t have that crystal ball that witches use to foresee the future. But I want to tell you something. Do you know where the future is? It’s in your heart, in your mind and in your hands.”
The Pope warned youngsters in El Salvador against joining gangs and was invited back to the Holy Land by his Israeli guests.
He also told pupils in Australia that Scholas.Social could help young people share experiences and tackle discrimination.
Laughs were raised at the conference as a South African boy encouraged the Pope to not get nervous before asking how Scholas came about.
Scholas is an education network which uses technology, arts and sport to promote social integration and a culture of encounter. They also fielded the Scholas Occurrentes team that lost 6-3 in the inter-religious Match for Peace in Rome on Monday.
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