“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” [Matthew 19:14].
The idea of a World Children’s Day was first put to Pope Francis by a nine-year-old during the Popecast in July 2023, the second podcast made by Vatican Media ahead of World Youth Day in Lisbon.
Less than a year later, the first World Children’s Day brought together 50,000 children from 100 countries and regions—including a delegation from Hong Kong—in Rome’s Olympic Stadium and St. Peter’s Square on May 25 and 26.
In his message for the event, the pope wrote to the children “[You] are a source of joy for your parents and your families, but also for our human family and for the Church, in which each of us is like a link in a great chain stretching from the past to the future and covering the whole earth.”
Psalm 127:3 reminds us that “Children are a gift from the Lord” and a reward; they are a blessing and not a burden.
In the face of divorce, abortion, divided families, conflict, migration, poverty, child labour, abuse, misinformation, social media exploitation, and trafficking, how children are treated holds up a mirror on the attitudes and actions of the grown-ups and leaders of today.
Their innocence, curiosity, and faith can have a profound impact on shaping our world. We must consider the kind of environment—social, ecological, emotional, and educational—children are immersed in today as they grow up. What joys or traumas will they carry with them into the future?
Save the Children reported that in 2022, approximately 468 million children—more than one out of six—were living in a conflict zone. UNICEF also reported in 2021 that the number of migrant children had increased by 50 per cent from around 24 million in the period spanning 1990–2000 to 36 million in 2020.
A 2024 report by the Global Network Against Food Crises — of which UNICEF is a part — estimated that there were 36 million acutely malnourished children worldwide, noting the sharp deterioration of food security in the Gaza Strip and Sudan. One in five children are acutely malnourished.
Grown-ups and leaders today should remember the importance of being childlike and set a good example. This means focusing on safety, quality education, the environment, and support systems. It also involves promoting critical thinking, moral and ethical values, and social awareness to shape a caring and forgiving society.
Pope Francis has called on children to kick off “the movement of boys and girls who want to build a world of peace, where we are all brothers and sisters, a world that has a future because we want to take care of the environment around us.”
In The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes: “All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.” World Children’s Day can help us to remember, and to bring this vision to life and nurture the leaders of tomorrow. SE
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” [Matthew 19:14].
The idea of a World Children’s Day was first put to Pope Francis by a nine-year-old during the Popecast in July 2023, the second podcast made by Vatican Media ahead of World Youth Day in Lisbon.
Less than a year later, the first World Children’s Day brought together 50,000 children from 100 countries and regions—including a delegation from Hong Kong—in Rome’s Olympic Stadium and St. Peter’s Square on May 25 and 26.
In his message for the event, the pope wrote to the children “[You] are a source of joy for your parents and your families, but also for our human family and for the Church, in which each of us is like a link in a great chain stretching from the past to the future and covering the whole earth.”
Psalm 127:3 reminds us that “Children are a gift from the Lord” and a reward; they are a blessing and not a burden.
In the face of divorce, abortion, divided families, conflict, migration, poverty, child labour, abuse, misinformation, social media exploitation, and trafficking, how children are treated holds up a mirror on the attitudes and actions of the grown-ups and leaders of today.
Their innocence, curiosity, and faith can have a profound impact on shaping our world. We must consider the kind of environment—social, ecological, emotional, and educational—children are immersed in today as they grow up. What joys or traumas will they carry with them into the future?
Save the Children reported that in 2022, approximately 468 million children—more than one out of six—were living in a conflict zone. UNICEF also reported in 2021 that the number of migrant children had increased by 50 per cent from around 24 million in the period spanning 1990–2000 to 36 million in 2020.
A 2024 report by the Global Network Against Food Crises — of which UNICEF is a part — estimated that there were 36 million acutely malnourished children worldwide, noting the sharp deterioration of food security in the Gaza Strip and Sudan. One in five children are acutely malnourished.
Grown-ups and leaders today should remember the importance of being childlike and set a good example. This means focusing on safety, quality education, the environment, and support systems. It also involves promoting critical thinking, moral and ethical values, and social awareness to shape a caring and forgiving society.
Pope Francis has called on children to kick off “the movement of boys and girls who want to build a world of peace, where we are all brothers and sisters, a world that has a future because we want to take care of the environment around us.”
In The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes: “All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.” World Children’s Day can help us to remember, and to bring this vision to life and nurture the leaders of tomorrow. SE
