By The pontiff told organizers of a Vatican-backed initiative that global crises are still leaving many children in extreme poverty.
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday voiced deep concern at a “lack of progress in protecting children from danger” as he met with the organizing committee of the initiative “From Crisis to Care: Catholic Action for Children.”
Addressing participants gathered to advance proposals stemming from last year’s International Summit on Children’s Rights, convened by Pope Francis, Leo said: “It is indeed a tragedy that the children and youth of our world, the ones Jesus wanted to come to him, are so often deprived of care and access to the basic necessities of life.”
He added that children “frequently have few opportunities for achieving their God-given potential” and warned that the situation “has not improved during the past year.”
“One must question whether global commitments for sustainable development have been cast aside when we see in our global human family that so many children still live in extreme poverty, suffer abuse, and are forcibly displaced, not to mention that they lack proper education and are isolated or separated from their families,” the pope said.
Leo recalled Pope Francis’ teaching in Amoris Laetitia on the child’s “right to receive love from a mother and a father; both are necessary for a child’s integral and harmonious development” and urged continued defense of “the profound vision of life as a gift to be cherished and of the family as its responsible guardian.”
He thanked participants for advocating for children, telling them: “First, you are speaking on behalf of those who have no voice. This is a truly noble task.” Acknowledging discouragement that can come from “failed initiatives” or “seeming lack of interest,” he encouraged them: “Let the good you know you are doing carry you forward.”
The pope also emphasized the need to address children’s “transversal needs,” which “can easily go unnoticed when care is focused on just one area of need.” He noted the committee members’ varied charisms and specializations, while urging greater collaboration “so that children receive care that is well balanced, taking into consideration their physical, psychological, and spiritual welfare.”
Leo said several Vatican bodies and religious superiors’ unions are accompanying the effort, and he encouraged participants “to develop concrete steps and action plans to address the transversal needs of children.”
In closing, he recalled Pope Francis’ insistence on listening to children and cited a message presented to Francis at last year’s summit: “Together with you, we want to cleanse the world of bad things, color it with friendship and respect, and help you build a beautiful future for everyone!”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Children – they are precious in the eyes of their Creator. Children need respect, love, and care. We need to pray for the wellbeing and good health of every child, their parents, and their care providers.
The Catholic US bishops played an unwitting role in child trafficking with their all-in support of the illegal invasion of our country by aliens over our Southern border. The bishops should be held to account for their complicity in yet another form of child abuse by Catholic clergy.
The bishops seem unaware of the news and unable to use reason. They protect people whose first act upon entering the U.S. is to disregard and violate our laws by entering illegally. They lower wages for Americans, crowd schools, overtax the health system, raise prices for rent and housing, etc. etc. Not to mention the crimes, including crimes against children. See a sample of crime:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of an illegal alien accused of violently raping an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint in front of her younger sister in Georgia
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/01/28/ice-seeks-custody-illegal-alien-accused-raping-11-year-old-girl-knifepoint/
The office of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference has released its annual state immigration report revealing that in 2025, illegal migrants committed 2,183 violent offenses, including 41 homicides, 145 sexual offenses, 11 child rapes, and more. Tennessee Releases Staggering Stats on Migrant Crime
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/02/02/tennessee-releases-staggering-stats-migrant-crime/
Nov 21,
Sep 11, 2025 … A 37-year-old illegal alien from Cuba is in the Dallas County jail after he allegedly decapitated a man at an area motel.
Five-Time Deported Illegal Alien Charged with Kicking Baby to Death
Breitbart › Politics › 2019/04/25
Apr 25, 2019 … A five-time deported illegal alien has been arrested and charged with kicking a four-month-old baby to death in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Truck Driver Allegedly Behind Fatal 8-Car Accident Identified as …
Breitbart › Immigration › 2025/10/22
Oct 22, 2025 … The suspected semi-truck driver behind an eight-car accident in California has been identified as an illegal alien from India.
Obama Judge Refuses to Give More Jail Time to Illegal Alien Who …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/12/15
Dec 15, 2025 … A judge is refusing to add additional jail time to a sentence for a seven-time deported illegal alien convicted of raping a disabled woman.
Report: ICE Arrests 101 ‘Dangerous’ Illegal Alien Truckers … – Breitbart
Breitbart › Immigration › 2025/12/23
Dec 23, 2025 … There are now reportedly 101 fewer illegal alien truck drivers on California highways following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
Illegal Alien Accused of Random Shooting Spree on Tennessee …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/05/02
May 2, 2025 … Enoc Martinez, a 24-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested in Shelby County, and charged with five counts of attempted first-degree …
Sanctuary State Illinois: Illegal Alien Accused of Killing GOP Elected …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/10/30
Oct 30, 2025 … Police say that 34-year-old illegal alien Edwin Pacheco-Meza of Honduras was driving a van on Oct. 24 when he crossed the center lane and struck …
ICE Busts Illegal Alien Pedophile Ring in Minneapolis – Breitbart
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/07/09
Jul 9, 2025 … Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested several illegal alien pedophiles and sexual offenders in Minneapolis.
Illegal Alien Accused of Killing 23-Year-Old National Guardsman …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/11/19
Nov 19, 2025 … An illegal alien from Georgia is accused of killing 23-year-old Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye in a Boone County, Indiana, crash.
Illegal Alien, Accused of Killing Travis Wolfe, Freed from Jail to …
Breitbart › Politics › 2024/12/23
Dec 23, 2024 … An illegal alien accused of causing the crash that killed 12-year-old Travis Wolfe in Hazelwood, Missouri, last year is now out of jail …
ICE Arrests Illegal Alien Pedophiles, Violent Convicts, Cocaine …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/11/21
Nov 21, 2025 … ICE has arrested illegal aliens convicted of drug possession, violent assault, and heinous sex crimes against children.
34 Illegal Alien Truckers Arrested on Oklahoma Highways … – Breitbart
Breitbart › Border › 2025/11/09
Nov 9, 2025 … Oklahoma law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 70 illegal aliens in a targeted highway sweep, including 34 …
Illegal Alien Sentenced to Life in Prison for Double Murder on Las …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/04/24
Apr 24, 2025 … Yoni Barrios, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was given two life sentences for going on a stabbing spree across the Las Vegas strip, where he …
California: Illegal Alien Who Killed American Shielded from …
Breitbart › Politics › 2018/12/23
Dec 23, 2018 … A previously deported illegal alien accused of killing a 51-year-old American could have been turned over to federal immigration officials …
NJ Judge Freed Illegal Alien from Jail After He was Charged with …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/08/14
Aug 14, 2025 … As Breitbart News reported, 43-year-old illegal alien Raul Luna-Perez of Mexico was arrested and charged this month with two counts of vehicular …
Chinese Illegal Alien Accused of Escaping Prison After Setting Fire …
Breitbart › Immigration › 2025/04/14
Apr 14, 2025 … An illegal alien who was sentenced last year for setting fire to an Alabama church in 2021 is now accused of escaping federal prison.
Sanctuary Oregon: Illegal Alien Truck Driver Accused of Killing 2 in …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/12/01
Dec 1, 2025 … An illegal alien truck driver from India is accused of killing 25-year-old William Micah Carter and 24-year-old Jennifer Lynn Lower in a crash …
Oscar: I hope you continue to post a detailed chronicalling of the mayhem unleashed by the extreme leftist open-door invasion of our country by illegal aliens promoted by our Catholic bishops. Every bishop should have shouted into their ears the names of every victim of this illegal invasion. Maybe someday our bishops will return to right reason.
Oscar: I hope you continue to post a detailed chronicalling of the mayhem unleashed by the extreme leftist open-door invasion of our country by illegal aliens promoted by our Catholic bishops. Every bishop should have shouted into their ears the names of every victim of this illegal invasion. Maybe someday our bishops will return to right reason..