Missionary Childhood helps more than 4 million childrenLearning from children: world children's dayAbout 100,000 children from all over the world are expected to attend the first World Children's Day, which Pope Francis has called for May 25-26, 2024, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. For the occasion, the Pope has also written a first message, addressed "to everyone, because you are all important, and because together, near and far, you manifest the desire of each of us to grow and renew ourselves."
It is children, in fact, who remind adults "that we are all children and brothers and sisters", as the Pontiff had already recalled in "Fratelli tutti" four years ago.
The program of the first World Children's Day, whose acronym refers to what is undoubtedly the most famous international event dedicated to young people, World Youth Day, has been presented at a press conference in recent days. In addition to the inaugural meeting at the Olympic Stadium, in which Pope Francis is also expected to participate and in which there will be testimonies and artists from all over the world, the Holy Father will preside at a Holy Mass in St. Peter's Square the following day.
To date, some 60,000 signatures have been received from more than 60 countries around the world, including delegations from war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ukraine, Mozambique, Gaza and Israel.
Builders of a new world
Moreover, in his message for the first World Youth Day, Pope Francis reminds us of the urgency of becoming "builders of a new, more humane, just and peaceful world", based on the witness of Jesus, "who offered himself on the Cross to gather us all together in love".
The theme chosen for the first World Youth Day refers to Revelation 21:5: "I make all things new", words that "invite us to be as quick as children to grasp the newness that the Spirit stirs up in us and around us", beginning with the simplest gestures and things. It is not for nothing that "the world is transformed above all through the smallest things, without being ashamed to take only small steps".
Another theme addressed by Pope Francis in the message is that of joy, which must be shared, since "one cannot be happy alone". And this joy "comes with gratitude for the gifts we have received and which we in turn share with others." Here also lies the secret of friendship, which grows "by sharing and forgiving, with patience, courage, creativity and imagination, without fear and without prejudice".
Daily Prayer
In preparation for the May event, in this year of the Jubilee that the Pope wanted to dedicate to prayer, children are also urged to "pray a lot, every day, because prayer connects us directly with God", thus giving them confidence and serenity. The Holy Father suggests that the little ones pray the Our Father in the morning and in the evening, also in the family, with their parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents.
The JMN.
The first World Children's Day is a joint event involving the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Auxilium Cooperative, the Italian Football Federation and several delegations from local institutions.
