Dear R.E. Teacher / Chaplain,
Before I say anything else – HABEMUS PAPAM!
As you may have noticed I’ve been more than a little interested in the papal election over the last few weeks and I hope you and your students have found the resources useful in understanding what can be a complex and confusing event. With Cardinal Bergoglio being elected as Pope and taking the name Pope Francis, I have updated the Pope resources page and it now includes a video biography of Pope Francis, links to written biographies, a link to our YouTube playlist on the Papal Election and also resources on St. Francis of Assisi & St. Francis Xavier. I know we are coming up to the long weekend & St. Patrick’s Day but do try to spend at least a few minutes in your R.E. classes learning about Pope Francis.
Here is an idea for a lesson starter before showing them the video:
Display on your whiteboard a picture of our new Pope with the following questions underneath:
1. Which Cardinal has been elected the new Pope?
2. What name has he chosen?
3. Where is he from?
4. How old is the new Pope?
5. Which order of priests does he belong to?
6. How many rounds of voting took place before the new Pope was elected?
7. How many popes have there been since St. Peter?
8. What is the Latin for ‘we have a pope’?
It may be an interesting way of finding out if they watch the news or know what’s happening in the world. From my experience there will always be students who know ‘nothing’ and they’re the ones who will learn most in your class.
Kind regards,
Gary
Email: garyabrahamian@gmail.com