Schools should communicate moral principles as well as scientific information, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of Italian students on March 12, according to CWNews.com

The Holy Father met with the students in St. Peter’s basilica just before his regular weekly public audience, which was held in the Paul VI auditorium. He told the group that education should equip young people to “grasp cultural, social, ethical, and religious messages.”

“Teachers cannot fail to perceive the moral dimension of all human knowledge,” the Pope continued; “because man knows in order to act and action is the fruit of his knowledge.”

Religious formation is also an intrinsic aspect of proper education, the Pontiff said. In a society “marked by profound changes,” he added, young people should be provided with adequate means of understanding their faith and applying it to the problems of contemporary life.