In the midst of a great festive atmosphere, the first World Children’s Day was held this Saturday, May 25, presided over by Pope Francis before a crowd gathered at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
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Between songs and prayers, thousands of children from 77 countries around the world met the Holy Father. All together they listened to various testimonies and questions from some of the children present.
Testimonies at the first World Children’s Day
Eugenia of Ukraine, who now lives in Italy with her family, told the Holy Father: “The first thing I want to say is that I want peace. “I don’t want the war to continue between Ukraine and Russia, which are two very important countries for me.”
Victor, a Palestinian Catholic baptized in Bethlehem, then asked the Pontiff: “What fault do we children have if we were born in Bethlehem or Jerusalem or Gaza? We just want to play, study and live free like so many other children in the world.”
For his part, little Mateo from Argentina encouraged the other children that “as we do every day at school, I want us to continue asking to be more similar to Jesus and have his heart. Thank you, Pope Francis, for this first World Children’s Day. We love you very much and we pray for you.”
Children’s questions to Pope Francis
At the time of the questions, the Colombian Jerónimo asked the Pope if peace is always possible, to which the Holy Father responded that yes, it is always possible, “forgiving and asking for forgiveness,” as can be done at school if there is some problem.
Lia Marise, from Burundi, asked the Holy Father what they can do to improve the world, to which Pope Francis replied that they can do it by speaking kindly, playing together and helping others.
Riccardo, from Italy, said: “I want to ask you how to love everyone, everyone, everyone?”, to which Pope Francis responded that we should start with those who are close: “If I don’t love my partner or schoolmate, if I don’t love the boy or girl who is nearby, I can’t move on. We must begin to love little by little.”
To the question from Luis Gabriel from Nicaragua about why there are people in the world who do not have a home or a job, the Holy Father responded that “this is humanity’s fault. I ask you a favor, that every day, when you pray, you do so for the children who suffer this injustice. Today Luis Gabriel has touched our hearts.”
The “Cross of Joy” at the first World Children’s Day
One of the gifts given to the Pope and which was present throughout the day was the so-called “Cross of Joy”, 4 meters high, made by the Italian artist Mimmo Palatino.
This cross, which will also be in St. Peter’s Square tomorrow at the Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis, has various elements of the Christian faith and other allusions to stories to, according to the author, “stimulate their (children’s) fantasy and ours”.
Other gifts have been “The Sailboat of Peace”, offered by Italian children; and a “cube of earth”, to raise awareness about caring for the common home.
Riad, a Syrian boy who arrived in Lesbos in Greece and who was able to travel to Italy with the papal flight in 2016, has also been remembered; and a soccer match was held in which several children played alongside well-known players such as Gianluigi Buffon, Cafú, Marco Tardelli, Giancarlo Antognoni, Simone Perrotta, Simone Tiribocchi, Vincenzo Iacopino, and Marco Amelia, among others.
The words of Pope Francis at the first World Children’s Day
“Here we are! The adventure of World Children’s Day has begun. “We have gathered here at the Olympic Stadium to kick off a movement of girls and boys who want to build a world of peace,” said the Holy Father.
A world “where we are all brothers, a world that has a future, because we want to take care of the environment that surrounds us. ‘Beautiful world’, says your song. Thank you for this! In you, children, everything speaks of life and the future. And the Church, which is a mother, welcomes them and accompanies them with tenderness and hope.”
The Holy Father recalled that a similar meeting in November in the Vatican understood that the talk with children must continue “and that is why we are here today, to continue dialogue, asking questions and answers.”
After remembering the motto of the day – I make all things new – Pope Francis encouraged the little ones to think that “God wants this, everything that is not new passes away. God is new. “The Lord always gives us news.”
After highlighting the importance of joy, the Holy Father prayed with the children to the Virgin Mary, “to Mom, to the Mom of Heaven.”
Walter Sánchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.