RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING IN THE PEDAGOGY OF JOHN PAUL II

Given the ongoing social, political and economic transitions and related threats and challenges, the need to prepare young generations for proper interpretation of the reality is indisputable. These expectations are met by the educational thought of Pope John Paul II – an unquestionable moral authority. Aim. The aim of the article is to present the concept of religious education of Pope John Paul II. Methods. The analysis of ideas by Pope John Paul II was carried out based on selected papal encyclics, exhortations, letters and speeches. Results. The presented analysis of the views on religious education of Pope John Paul II shows that they fall within the tendency of Christian personalism. The teaching of John Paul II contain beliefs about the infinite value of the man, emphasise its personal individuality, draw attention to such organization of the temporal world so that an individual living in it may develop its personality. Such development is not only the goal of a human being, but also the target of the entire social life. For where personal values, such as freedom, dignity, justice, love and peace are valued, social structures may thrive. This is possible only in the case of unity with God. And this, in turn, may be guaranteed only by religious education. Conclusion. Religious education focuses on moral requirements concerning everyone and pursuant to the Gospel, as well as Christian attitudes to life and the world: both heroic and regular, referred to as Christian or evangelic virtues. These are the grounds for care about and endeavour to, when educating in faith, clearly present the issues such as human activity for integral liberation, seek societies of increased solidarity and brotherhood, fight for justice and build peace. Religious education is about preparing Catholic children to live in contact with non-Catholics, while preserving their own Catholic identity, and at the same time, showing respect for the faith of other people. It is a full introduction into Christianity which refers to all elements of life as a Christian. Religious education requires a variety of methods adapted to mental type and age, ecclesiastical and spiritual maturity, and individual preconditions of the catechised. The period worth of attention is when a small child receives the first constituents of catechesis from the parents and the family environment, which show in simple words the good and caring Father in Heaven, to whom the child learns to raise its heart. Oryginality. The article brings new values to the concept of upbringing, which leads a person to his development in the conditions of contemporary social and civilizational reality. Keywords. Pope John Paul II; religious education; children; teenagers; Christian personalism; catechization; values