World Children's Day

A global event dedicated to the youngest

World Children's Day is the major international event of the Catholic Church entirely dedicated to childhood. Initiated by Pope Francis, it chose Rome as its natural home: the Capital, heart of the Lazio Region and the Metropolitan City of Rome, has always been the place where the universal Church convenes its great gatherings, from World Youth Days to Holy Years. Here, for the first time, the absolute protagonists were not young people or adult pilgrims, but children and their families.

The first edition: Rome, May 25 and 26, 2024

The inaugural edition took place over two days. Saturday, May 25, 2024, the Stadio Olimpico hosted a great celebration from 3 PM to 6 PM, opened by greetings from foreign delegations and continuing with testimonies, artists, and internationally renowned guests, hosted by Carlo Conti. The most anticipated moment was the direct dialogue between the children and the Holy Father. Sunday, May 26, the event moved to St. Peter's Square for the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Pope, the Angelus, and the greeting to children from all over the world. Estimates from the Municipality of Rome reported over 70,000 total attendees, with participants arriving from more than one hundred nations.

The international summit of February 2025

No new edition of the gathering was held in 2025: the event does not have an annual frequency. However, on February 2-3, 2025, the Holy See hosted an international summit on children's rights titled "Let us love and protect them," promoted by the Pontifical Committee for World Children's Day, with the opening evening at the Vatican Museums. It was the main institutional follow-up to the first edition.

The announcement of the second edition

On November 19, 2025, during the general audience, Pope Leo XIV announced that the second World Children's Day would be held in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026. The indicated theme revolved around the beauty of peace, experienced first and foremost within the family. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, emphasized how children understand the value of peace well and suffer when they perceive tensions and conflicts around them; Father Enzo Fortunato, president of the Pontifical Committee, spoke of days "rich in listening and sharing." On that occasion, a child from Gaza handed the Pope the official flag of the event, which was blessed and signed.

The cancellation of the 2026 Roman event

The situation changed in the first months of 2026. With the Chirograph of February 12, 2026, Pope Leo XIV suppressed the Pontifical Committee for World Children's Day—established by the Chirograph of November 20, 2024—transferring all its competencies to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. On March 27, 2026, the same Dicastery announced the decision to cancel the celebration of the 2nd World Children's Day, initially scheduled in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026.

This is not a postponement to a later date: the international gathering in the Capital will not take place. Initiatives aimed at the pastoral care of children may be celebrated, at the discretion of the Ordinaries, at the diocesan or parish level and with the involvement of families. The Dicastery specified that it will continue to promote pastoral attention towards families in their various components.

What remains for the public

• No centralized event in Rome in September 2026: those who had planned a trip to the Capital for those dates will not find a unified program.
• Italian dioceses and parishes can independently organize moments dedicated to children, with very different local calendars and methods.
• The ordinary papal celebrations in St. Peter's Square remain valid and always accessible, in particular the Sunday Angelus and the Wednesday general audiences.

Rome, city of great gatherings

The Municipality of Rome, in the Lazio region, maintains unique logistical experience in the world in hosting mass religious events: dedicated transport, parking areas for coaches, reception points for pilgrims, and coordination between the Prefecture, Rome Capital, and the Vatican authorities. It is this infrastructure, tested by the Jubilees, that made the 2024 gathering possible in just a few weeks and remains available for future international convocations of the Church, when new ones are announced.