The Vatican announced this Thursday all the details of what will be the first World Children’s Day and which will be celebrated on May 25 and 26 in Rome.
The two-day event will open at 3:30 p.m. (local time) on Saturday the 25th with an event at the Olympic Stadium in the Italian capital. This event will feature music, sports, reflection and spirituality activities and thousands of children from more than 100 nations will participate.
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Pope Francis will answer questions from children during the opening ceremony, in which international footballers led by former Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon will also participate.
This special day will conclude on Sunday, May 26 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican with a Mass presided over by the Holy Father and a subsequent speech by Italian actor Roberto Benigni.
On Sunday, at 10:15 (local time), there will be a greeting from Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City. Later, at 10:15 a.m., the Mass will begin, presided over by Pope Francis, followed by Regina Coeli.
According to Father Enzo Fortunato, coordinator of the event, “the establishment of a World Children’s Day, strongly desired by Pope Francis, is an event of global reach, not only for the history of the Church, but for humanity.” .
“We want to look at the world through the eyes of children, who are the hope of the people, their future. The simplicity of their hearts is a gift from God and, for those who know how to accept it, the possibility of peace,” he added.
The Vatican has announced the details of this global event, sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Community of Sant’Egidio and the Auxilium Cooperative, in a press conference on May 16.
The briefing session was attended by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Community of Sant’ Egidio; the Fr Enzo Fortunato; Hannah Imordi and Rahila Saya, University of Global Humanities La Sapienza; and Aldo Cagnoli, vice coordinator of the day.
Also participating were Francesco Rocca, president of the Lazio Region, Marco Mezzaroma, President of Sports and Health, Domenico Alagia, of the Auxilium Cooperative, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and the Manetti brothers.
To facilitate access to information and make communication more efficient before and during the event, the “World Children’s Day” mobile application has been designed and developed, downloadable in the Google Play Store and Apple Store, from which you can navigate easily through the sections of the website and connect to the live broadcast of the event.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.