Pope Francis establishes the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, which will seek to organize the World Day and the Church’s mission of advocating respect for the rights and dignity of children.
By Devin Watkins
“A child’s gaze is one of awe and openness to mystery, seeing what adults often fail to perceive.”
Pope Francis upheld the importance of children in his Chirograph establishing the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, which was released on Wednesday.
He entrusted the new Pontifical Committee with the mission of “promoting, organizing, and animating the World Day for Children.”
The Pope appointed Fr. Enzo Fortunato, O.F.M. Conv., as the first President of the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children.
Christians called to become child-like in wonder
In his Chirograph, Pope Francis noted that the social status of children has changed greatly throughout human history.
“In Jesus’ time, children were not highly regarded,” he said. “They were considered “not-yet-men” and were even seen as a nuisance by rabbis focused on explaining the mysteries of the Kingdom.”
Jesus, added the Pope, overturns this mentality and urges His own disciples to imitate the wonder with which children approach life.
“Disciples,” said the Holy Father, “are called to grow in trust, abandonment, wonder, and amazement—qualities that age and disillusionment often extinguish in humanity.”
Since children have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ, they too have inherent value in their current stage in life, not only for what they will contribute to the Church and society in the future when they become adults,” he said.
“Family, Church, and State exist for children, not the other way around,” said the Pope. “From birth, every human being is the subject of inalienable, inviolable, and universal rights.”
Care for children ‘a duty and expression of charity’
Pope Francis then urged the Church to give voice to the rights of children as her duty and as an expression of charity.
Children, he said, have a need and a right “to be recognized, welcomed, and understood by their mothers, fathers, and families, in order to have trust; to be surrounded by affection and experience emotional security, whether they live with their parents or not, to discover their identity; and, to have a name, a family, and a nationality, along with respect and a good reputation, to enjoy emotional stability in their living and educational conditions.”
The World Day of Children, he said, offers an opportunity to put children at the center of the Church’s pastoral action and unite dioceses across the world in recognition of the importance of children.
The Pope also said the World Day helps children to “know, love, and serve Our Lord Jesus Christ in His role as Friend and Good Shepherd and to root their faith in the tradition of the holy children whom the Church treasures as a spiritual heritage”.
Priority of pastoral care for children
In conclusion, Pope Francis said the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children will keep the annual event from becoming an isolated event.
Rather, he said, the World Day of Children should become a sustained effort to ensure that “pastoral care for children increasingly becomes a qualified priority in evangelical and pedagogical terms”.
