Immersed, as we are, in the development of a society of immediacy, technology and knowledge, it seems that uncertainty has fallen upon the epistemological foundations of certain domains, generating contradictions in the relationships between individual conscience and citizenship, science and ethics, skill-based training and all-round personal development, etc.

The depth of these complex relationships makes it challenging to build scenarios for inclusiveness and democracy, and, consequently, to shape a suitable community devoted to education, learning and training professional teachers, with an educational paradigm that focuses more on the learner and less on the contents to be taught.

The aim, ultimately, is to advance a new humanism for education that addresses the profoundness of personal development needs and of the hope in the humanizing change that today’s modern society needs. It ambitions to inspire social and political action through its aspiration to be put into practice in the concrete, everyday life of society and to be, in this sense, a basis for social action for Christians.

Indeed, Christian humanism understands education as an environment for nurturing the values, knowledge and socialization of each person that lives in a community. It offers a privileged space that fosters the full development of people’s potential (cognitive, emotional, social, bodily and spiritual), helps them lead a free and responsible life, strives to uphold the dignity of all and is based on the principles of justice and the equality of all people. In this way, education contributes to the construction of a social order founded on the pursuit of the common good, which, in turn, upholds personal dignity and the fundamental values of justice, solidarity and liberty. From these values are also derived the basic principles for organizing the education system, such as the principles of subsidiarity, participation and solidarity, which establish responsibilities and rights for intermediate bodies and the state. These principles must crystallize into public education policies to safeguard the right to education, academic freedom, educational pluralism, the role of the family and the development of the school community, among other benefits.

In this edition of the conference, research papers, policy documents and presentations are especially welcome in a wide range of questions and topics related to Christian-Humanist Pedagogy as a source of Social Responsibility, the political, economic and social implications of Christian-Humanist Pedagogy, the role of families in this educational approach, the role of teachers with regard to the new education policy lines, etc. Contributions related to the other topics of the conference are also welcome.