Learning peace from children: Pope Francis to meet 6,000 young people
By Francesca Merlo
Presenting the upcoming event, "Learning from Children," at the Holy See Press Office on 17 October, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça recalled Pope Francis' recent announcement of the event.
Speaking at the Angelus prayer on 1 October, the Pope was joined by five children representing five continents as he announced that 6 November would be the day he would meet with children from all around the world.
6,000 children, 56 countries
During the press meeting, it was announced that approximately 6,000 children, aged 7-12 and hailing from over 56 different countries, will gather to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Monday, 6 November, at 2 pm.
Cardinal Tolentino, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education - which is organising the event - emphasised that the meeting's purpose is to reconnect with the purity that children embody.
In a world rife with division and conflict, children stand out for their innate sense of love for creation, the purity of their emotions, their spontaneous sense of hospitality, and their boundless capacity to dream.
In this regard, Cardinal Tolentino underlined the importance of dreams, stating that they help nurture hope, broaden horizons, and that the dreams of young people are especially crucial.
Cardinal Tolentino went on to stress that achieving peace requires more courage than waging war. He asserted the importance of saying "yes" to encounter and "no" to conflict, "yes" to dialogue and "no" to violence, "yes" to agreements and "no" to provocations. Courage and the strength of the soul are essential qualities that children possess and from which we must learn.
Integrated children to teach peace
Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, also attended the press conference.
He mentioned that among the 6,000 children attending the event, there would be what he referred to as "new Italians": children of immigrants who have come to Italy in search of a better life.
Additionally, there will be children who have arrived in Italy through humanitarian corridors, all of whom have integrated into Italian schools.
Mr. Impagliazzo revealed that the children have been contemplating questions they'd like to ask Pope Francis during their school preparations.
While not disclosing the specific questions, he noted the diversity in their inquiries, ranging from queries about the Pope and his life to questions about life and death, emotions, and the desire for companionship.
Pope Francis seeks to learn from children
In conclusion, Mr. Impagliazzo pointed out that all these questions reflect the purity of children's beliefs and their understanding that "all you need to be happy is to be loved and feel welcomed."
The event on 6 November aims to impart, or more aptly, learn from the children themselves, as Pope Francis expressed in his Angelus on 1 October, "I wait for you, to learn from you, too."
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