‘…education bears within itself a seed of hope’ Pope Francis, preferential option for the poor and the Global Compact on Education

Abstract This article provides an initial exploration of the links between the understanding of Pope Francis on the preferential option for the poor and the descriptions of the seven commitments in the Global Compact on Education. The preferential option for the poor was a major part of his ministry, and daily witness, as a Jesuit priest and as pope. Further he had a great interest in children and young people and their education. In this article, key documents such as the four encyclical letters and selected apostolic exhortations, apostolic letters, addresses and messages are used. Some major themes emerge, and these are grouped under two broad headings in the first section of the article: the contemporary context of poverty and the Christian response to poverty. Under the heading of the contemporary context of poverty the following will be addressed in the first section of the article: consumerism and the throwaway culture; individualism and self-reliance; new forms of poverty and the poverty of women and children. Under the second heading of the Christian response to poverty are the following: the poverty of Jesus and his love of the poor and the role of the church in caring for the poor through support for the common good and solidarity. In the second section, the relationship between the preferential option for the poor and the seven commitments of the Global Compact on Education will be explored. Some of the links between the Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals will also be explored.