Pope Leo XIV Announces the 2nd World Children's Day with Families from Around the World "Children must be shown the beauty of peace"
Pope Leo XIV announces the second World Children's Day
to be held in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026
Vatican City, November 19, 2025 – During today's audience, Pope Leo XIV announced that the
second World Children's Day will be held in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026.
The World Children's Day, promoted by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, will be a time of encounter, prayer, and celebration involving children and their families from all over the world.
At the end of the audience, seven-year-old Majd Bernard from Gaza and Father Enzo Fortunato
presented and showed the Pope the flag with the official logo of the next edition of
World Children's Day (Image Above - Vatican Media). The Holy Father then blessed and signed the flag, which has thus become a symbol of the journey leading to the 2026 event.
THE STATEMENTS
"On the next World Children's Day, the Church wishes to once again pay particular attention
to the world of childhood and the natural environment in which children live and grow, namely, the family," declared Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Children must be shown the beauty of peace, peace experienced first and foremost in their families, in the environments they frequent, and in the entire world. Children understand the value of peace well and suffer greatly when they perceive tensions and conflicts around them, starting with their parents or in the surrounding environment.
We therefore hope that the next WBC will be a beautiful opportunity for the Church to show herself close to children and their families, giving them hope and joy."
"I thank the Holy Father and Cardinal Kevin Farrell for their attention and loving kindness toward this
day, so important for the Church and society. Children and their families will experience days filled
with listening and sharing. Together with Pope Leo," said Father Enzo Fortunato, "we will say that a
better future is possible. The data from international organizations speak clearly:
over two billion children live in the world, every day approximately 13,000 children under the age of five lose their lives to preventable causes, and millions live in conflict zones, where war prevents them from building a future."
THE LOGO
The handprints at the center of the logo recall the simple and authentic gestures of childhood, a sign of the universality and purity of the littlest ones. The different colors represent the multiplicity of cultures that, united, create a harmony capable of welcoming and valuing differences. The seven footprints refer to the seven continents, while the Dome of St. Peter's, symbolizing the permanent home of the Day, appears like an embrace that welcomes and protects children from all over the world, with the cross recalling the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
THE FIRST EDITION
The first edition of World Children's Day, held in 2024, saw the participation of
approximately 100,000 children from 101 nations. The event, which touched the heart of the
universal Church, left a profound mark of fraternity and hope. With the second edition in 2026, the
Church renews its commitment to listening to and valuing the voices of the youngest, protagonists of a world that desires peace, acceptance, and a future.
Vatican City, November 19, 2025 – During today's audience, Pope Leo XIV announced that the
second World Children's Day will be held in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026.
The World Children's Day, promoted by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, will be a time of encounter, prayer, and celebration involving children and their families from all over the world.
At the end of the audience, seven-year-old Majd Bernard from Gaza and Father Enzo Fortunato
presented and showed the Pope the flag with the official logo of the next edition of
World Children's Day (Image Above - Vatican Media). The Holy Father then blessed and signed the flag, which has thus become a symbol of the journey leading to the 2026 event.
THE STATEMENTS
"On the next World Children's Day, the Church wishes to once again pay particular attention
to the world of childhood and the natural environment in which children live and grow, namely, the family," declared Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Children must be shown the beauty of peace, peace experienced first and foremost in their families, in the environments they frequent, and in the entire world. Children understand the value of peace well and suffer greatly when they perceive tensions and conflicts around them, starting with their parents or in the surrounding environment.
We therefore hope that the next WBC will be a beautiful opportunity for the Church to show herself close to children and their families, giving them hope and joy."
"I thank the Holy Father and Cardinal Kevin Farrell for their attention and loving kindness toward this
day, so important for the Church and society. Children and their families will experience days filled
with listening and sharing. Together with Pope Leo," said Father Enzo Fortunato, "we will say that a
better future is possible. The data from international organizations speak clearly:
over two billion children live in the world, every day approximately 13,000 children under the age of five lose their lives to preventable causes, and millions live in conflict zones, where war prevents them from building a future."
THE LOGO
The handprints at the center of the logo recall the simple and authentic gestures of childhood, a sign of the universality and purity of the littlest ones. The different colors represent the multiplicity of cultures that, united, create a harmony capable of welcoming and valuing differences. The seven footprints refer to the seven continents, while the Dome of St. Peter's, symbolizing the permanent home of the Day, appears like an embrace that welcomes and protects children from all over the world, with the cross recalling the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
THE FIRST EDITION
The first edition of World Children's Day, held in 2024, saw the participation of
approximately 100,000 children from 101 nations. The event, which touched the heart of the
universal Church, left a profound mark of fraternity and hope. With the second edition in 2026, the
Church renews its commitment to listening to and valuing the voices of the youngest, protagonists of a world that desires peace, acceptance, and a future.
Source: https://press.vatican.va/content/dam/salastampa/it/bollettino/documentazione-linkata/CS_ANNUNCIO%20GMB%202026%2019.11.2025.pdf
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