Pope Francis decries deaths of children in global conflicts

3/2/2025 19:14

Pope Francis on Monday decried the deaths of children in global conflicts, telling a Vatican summit that "nothing is worth the life of a child".



Francis, who has been critical of both Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the ongoing violence of the Russia-Ukraine war, did not specify a conflict in his remarks.



"What we have tragically seen almost every day in recent times, namely children dying beneath bombs ... is unacceptable," said the pontiff. "To kill children is to deny the future."



The Vatican, shaken in recent decades by child sexual abuse scandals in countries across the world, invited a range of global leaders on Monday for a one-day conference to discuss children's rights.