ROME— Pope Francis on Saturday addressed the first World Children’s Day, a gathering with children from around the globe, where he spoke on the importance of building a future based on peace, hope, and dialogue. “In you, children, everything speaks of life and the future. The Church, as a mother, welcomes you and accompanies you with tenderness and hope,” the pope said to the estimated 50,000 in attendance at Rome’s Olympic Stadium on May 25.
Recalling his meeting with nearly 7,000 children last November — an event sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education dedicated to the theme “Let Us Learn from Boys and Girls” — the pope explained that the meeting “left a lasting impression in my heart” and was the catalyst for World Children’s Day. “I prayed and realized that our conversation had to continue and expand to reach more children and young people,” the pope said. “That is why we are here today: to keep the dialogue going, to ask questions and seek answers together.
” World Children’s Day is a new initiative by Pope Francis sponsored by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education in collaboration with the Catholic community of Sant’Egidio, the Auxilium Cooperative, and the Italian Football Federation. The event commenced at Rome’s Olympic Stadium, transformed into the “Children’s Village,” at 3:30 p.m.
local time. Italian professional soccer players engaged in a friendly soccer match with some of the children clad in.