The 5th International Congress of Pedagogy took place on January 18, 19 and 20 at the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) - Braga, and focused on the theme "Education and Culture of Peace: Memory, Truth and Forgiveness".
At the opening ceremony, the Director of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences (FFCS) at UCP - Braga, José Manuel Lopes, emphasized the importance of truth in building a culture of peace and said that "you can never build a culture of peace without truth". He also criticized the current trend of "truth phobia", exemplified by the concept of post-truth and assured that truth is in crisis due to the crisis of reason.
The Director of the FFCS also pointed out that it is a mistake to try to make people believe that respect and tolerance for all worldviews implies renouncing the truth. He noted that communication today often prioritizes convincing rather than informing, resembling the sophists of Ancient Greece, whose aim was to "win" argumentatively.
As for forgiveness, he stressed that it is an active action that requires memory, truth and a willingness to reconcile in order to achieve peace, which must be rooted in justice. José Manuel Lopes stressed that without truth, memory and forgiveness, there can be no transformative education that promotes human dignity and leads to a culture of peace.
Laborinho Lúcio pointed the finger at the "myth of equality in the assessment of students" and argued that "once and for all" it is necessary to "recognize that equality in the assessment of students in a public school with universal and compulsory attendance is a myth". He guaranteed that "it is a myth that must be dispelled because it has absolutely harmful consequences, both in terms of pedagogy and in life".
One of the strong ideas put forward by the various national and international speakers, who come from different backgrounds, is that education should be structured and designed for peace and respect for the dignity of the human person, regardless of their color, religion or social position.