The initiative, featuring the presence of Pope Francis, is geared at children aged between 5 and 12 years, accompanied by adults.
Rome – Italy (04/04/2024 12:42, Gaudium Press) Between May 25 and 26, Rome will host the first edition of the World Day of Children (WDC). The organizers of the event estimate that about 100,000 people will participate, including children and accompanying adults, from more than 100 countries.
Event will feature the participation of Pope Francis
The initiative will feature the presence of Pope Francis, who will preside over a Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican. For Monsignor Marco Frisina, author of the WDC hymn, children are “the novelty, the hope, and joy of the world. They are the protagonists of the future where adults are called to dialogue to build a new world.”
Pope Francis released a message for the WDC in which he emphasized that children need to be accompanied by Jesus with whom one can “dream of a new humanity and work for a more fraternal society and attentive to our common home, starting with simple things like greeting others, asking permission, apologizing, saying thank you. The world transforms first and foremost through small things, without being ashamed of taking only small steps.”
Registrations for the World Day of Children
Children aged between 5 and 12 years, accompanied by adults, can participate in the event that will take place in Rome. Registrations can be made online through Dioceses, Parishes, movements, schools, and associations. The WDC webpage (www.giornatamondialedeibambini.org) is available in three languages: Italian, English, and Spanish.
To register, it is necessary to pay a fee of 5 euros per person. The amount collected from the registrations will be allocated to a solidarity fund to help the reality of the poorest who will also participate. As a form of preparation for the WDC, the Pope advised that children around the world pray with their families, every morning and every night, the prayer that Jesus taught us: the Our Father.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj