Pope Francis visits children at the Vatican summer camp

On the morning of this July 18, Pope Francis visited the summer camp “Summer kids in the Vatican”, accompanied by Father Franco Fontana, responsible for organizing the activities.

This is the fifth edition of this summer course aimed at the children of employees of the Holy See residing in Rome and who this year inaugurate a new center dedicated to Saint Joseph.

Like every year, after his arrival, the Pontiff held a brief meeting with the animators and then spoke with the children and young people who participate in the summer center.

In response to their questions and speeches, inspired by the path of reflection and activities that they are following these days, the Holy Father spoke of the value of the family, of parents and the relationship with grandparents.

Likewise, he urged them to work for peace, “the most beautiful thing in life,” and to prepare for the next Jubilee 2025 “with a spirit of joy.”

Finally, after a moment of prayer, the children and young people together launched colorful biodegradable balloons into the air, each with the Pope’s words written: “For you, dear child, for you, dear girl, you are precious to the God’s eyes”.

As reported by the Holy See, the meeting ended with Pope Francis thanking the children for their joy and all those involved in carrying out this initiative.

The objective of this 2024 edition celebrated with the motto “Errant Knights,” is “embarking on a new path of growth” through two main ideas: traveling towards new horizons and the permission to make mistakes.