By Charles Igwe
At a Vatican summit on Monday, Pope Francis received a prolonged round of applause after revealing his intention to dedicate a new papal document to the theme of children.
The summit, titled Love Them and Protect Them, took place from February 2–3 and brought together global leaders from both the public and private sectors. Discussions centered on fundamental rights of children, including access to education, healthcare, family support, and protection from violence.
“To ensure this commitment continues and is embraced by the entire Church, I intend to draft a letter, an exhortation devoted to children,” Pope Francis announced on February 3 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
The Pope actively participated in much of the first day’s proceedings, delivering an opening address in which he emphasized the need to safeguard vulnerable children—especially those affected by war, those who are displaced, and the unborn.
Reflecting on the significance of the gathering, he remarked, “Today, the halls of the Apostolic Palace have transformed into an open observatory on the state of childhood worldwide—a childhood that is too often wounded, exploited, and overlooked.”
He commended the participants for their dedication, saying, “Your presence, experiences, and compassion have helped establish not just an observatory but also a laboratory of action. In various thematic groups, you have developed proposals for defending children’s rights—not as statistics, but as individuals with faces and identities. This work is for the glory of God, and we entrust it to Him, that His Holy Spirit may bring it to fruition.”
The Pope further stressed the responsibility of adults in shaping the future for younger generations. “Children look to us to see how we carry life forward,” he stated.
The summit featured prominent speakers, including Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Holocaust survivor and author Edith Bruck.
