At the first International Summit on Children’s Rights in Rome Feb. 3, Pope Francis decried abortion, child trafficking, and child labor, telling those present: “Nothing is worth more than the life of a child.”
Vatican News reported that during the Pope’s address, which was given with various world leaders present, he also lamented child victims of war.
“What we have tragically seen almost every day in recent times, namely children dying beneath bombs, sacrificed to the idols of power, ideology, and nationalistic interests, is unacceptable,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis denounced abortion especially for perpetuating the idea that human lives are disposable.
“In the name of this throwaway mentality, in which the human being becomes all-powerful, unborn life is sacrificed through the murderous practice of abortion,” Pope Francis said.
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Vatican News also reports that the pope further said that abortion “cuts off the source of hope for the whole of society.”
Pope Francis also lamented how migrant children die in deserts or along other treacherous roads.
“A childhood denied is a silent scream condemning the wrongness of the economic system, the criminal nature of wars, the lack of adequate medical care and schooling,” he said.
At the end of his address, Pope Francis announced that he will be writing an Apostolic Exhortation dedicated to children, according to a separate Feb. 3 Vatican News report.
In early January, Pope Francis dedicated two of his regular General Audience to raising awareness on child labor. On Jan. 15 he spoke about how individuals and institutions can make choices to combat the exploitation of children.
Panelists for the children’s rights summit included former Vice President of the United States Al Gore, who is also the founder and chairman of the Climate Reality Project, and Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan.
LifeNews Note: McKenna Snow writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
