Pope Francis' Vision and Whole Child Education: Exploring the Foundational Beliefs of Cura Personalis and Accompaniment

Abstract This paper is a response to Pope Francis’ invitation to dialogue on how Catholic educators can help shape the future of the planet by focusing on integral human development. Offering a discussion of the theological foundations of two primary beliefs of whole child education—cura personalis, the care for the whole person, and accompaniment, the process of journeying with the child and their caregivers throughout the educational process—this paper advances Pope Francis’ vision for integral human development and advances a framework for practitioners and scholars to be attentive to in their practice and research.