Vatican City, 03 February, 2025 / 7:20 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis received a long round of applause at a Vatican summit on Monday after announcing he intends to make children the theme of a new papal document.
Titled “Love Them and Protect Them,” the Feb. 3–4 summit with public- and private-sector leaders from around the world includes panels on the child’s right to resources, to education, to food and health care, to family, to free time, and to live free from violence.
“To give continuity to this commitment and promote it throughout the Church, I plan to prepare a letter, an exhortation dedicated to children,” Pope Francis said on Feb. 3 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
The pontiff participated in most of the first day of the summit, at which he gave an opening speech on the importance of protecting children at the margins of society, including those living in war zones, unaccompanied minors, and the unborn.
