Last December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis announced the celebration of the first World Children’s Day. It takes places this weekend in Rome, organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. This initiative of the Holy Father aims to place the condition of children in the center, offering space for reflection on their future and on the world we intend to deliver them. It will include two distinct moments of celebration and prayer. Both will see the presence of Pope Francis and will take place in Rome’s Olympic Stadium and in Saint Peter’s Square. Actively involving local communities in the organization of parallel events around the world will enrich the breadth of Francis’ initiative. This is meant to be an opportunity to “underline the importance of the role of the new generations as protagonists of the future.”
The design of the logo includes the impression of human hands, dotting the earliest of inhabited caves. The history of art and civilization begins with this simple gesture, immediate and primordial. “In the infancy of humanity, our ancestors longed to leave a sign as a legacy to future generations. Thus did those men and women begin to write their story—and ours. Our children, in turn, relive that gesture when they start drawing. It’s their act of ingress in the community, every time unique: one of their first marks of self-awareness and opportunity leave a trace. Thus does the story of the entire species and the possibility of a new beginning begin anew in every child: ‘I make all things new’—this enlightening verse of the final book of the Bible—shall be the main theme of the inaugural World Children’s Day. The handprints in the logo hark back to those very gestures characteristic of the childhood of the human race. The different colors represent the multiplicity of cultures that make up a oneness, embracing and valorizing the diversities. ‘Ex pluribus unum.’”
Making the world a better place for everyone starts with prayer and little steps like saying hello, sorry, or thank you, Pope Francis says in his letter to the world’s children. “Our world will change if we all begin with these little things, without being ashamed to take small steps, one at a time,” he wrote in his letter, released on March 2. Organizers said 57,000 children from 60 counties signed up almost immediately, following the publication of the letter. It is hoped that 100,000 children ages 6-12, will attend this weekend’s opening event in Rome.
Fr. Terry