Pope Francis establishes the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, which will promote World Children’s Day and the Church’s mission to defend respect for the rights and dignity of children.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Wednesday, November 20, 2024: “The gaze of a child is full of wonder and openness to mystery; it sees what adults often cannot understand.” Pope Francis maintained the importance of children in his document creating the Pontifical Council for World Children’s Day, published on Wednesday. He entrusted the new Pontifical Council with the mission of “promoting, organizing and animating World Children’s Day.” The Pope congratulated Father Enzo Fortunato, OFM Appointed first president of the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day.
A call to Christians to be like amazed children
In his document, Pope Francis noted that the social situation of children has changed greatly throughout the history of humanity. “In Jesus’ time,” he said, “boys were not held in high esteem. They were considered ‘not yet men’ and were even the subject of fury from the rabbis for focusing on explaining the secrets of the kingdom.” like.” The pope said Jesus reverses this mentality and urges his disciples to imitate children’s wonder at life.
“Disciples are called to grow in faith, sacrifice, wonder and awe.
He said: “Because children have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, they have inherent value even in their current stage of life, not only for the contributions they will make to the Church and society in the future when they are adults.”
“The family, the Church and the nation exist for children, not the other way around,” the Pope said. “Every human being is born subject to inalienable, inviolable and universal rights.”
Caring for children ‘a duty and an expression of charity’
Pope Francis urges the Church to give voice to the rights of children as an expression of its duty and charity. He said that children “need and have the right to be recognized, welcomed and understood by their parents and families, to trust them; to be surrounded by affection and to experience emotional security, regardless of whether they live with the father or not, recognize their identity and have respect and a good reputation as well as a name, a family and a nationality, enjoy emotional stability in your life and educational situations.”
He said World Children’s Day provides an opportunity to unite dioceses around the world to place children at the center of the Church’s pastoral activities and recognize the importance of children. The Pope also said that World Day helps children “to know, love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ as their Friend and Good Shepherd, and to strengthen their faith in the tradition of the Congregation for Holy Childhood, which the Church treasures as a spiritual treasure.” inheritance.”
Priority of children’s ministry
Finally, Pope Francis said that the Pontifical Council for World Children’s Day will prevent the annual event from becoming an isolated event.
Instead, he said, World Children’s Day should become an ongoing effort to ensure that “pastoral care for children increasingly becomes a worthy priority in evangelical and educational terms.”
