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Pope on migrant kids and youth: An appeal to “everyone”
Confirmed
In Short: The pope appealed to the world to take responsibility for protecting migrant and refugee children during his address in St. Peter's Square.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Pope Leo XIV addressed a crowd in St. Peter's Square, urging a global effort to protect children who leave their homes as migrants or refugees.
Citing UNICEF figures, Vatican News noted that more than 35,300 minors were among the over 155,000 migrants who reached Europe in 2025.
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the vulnerability of children and teenagers, noting that they often endure 'unspeakable suffering' during their journeys.
The pope's appeal came ahead of the annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which focuses on the plight of migrant young people this year.
In his message for the World Day, Pope Leo XIV stressed that public and private institutions must prioritize the protection and dignity of every migrant child and adolescent.
The pope also reflected on the importance of human progress finding truth and freedom in an encounter with God, challenging the prejudice that portrays scientific and technological progress as being opposed to the Christian faith.
Pope Leo XIV's message highlighted the growing number of minors among migrants and refugees, emphasizing the need for protection against violence, exploitation, and traumatic conditions.
The pontiff's call for responsibility and support for young migrants comes as the Church celebrates the World Day of Migrants and Refugees to raise awareness and promote initiatives of welcome, integration, and accompaniment.
Pope Leo XIV's address also marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on his home country, making his first public comments on the anniversary.
The pope's message underscores the urgent need for global action to protect and support the most vulnerable migrants and refugees, especially children.
What this adds
The sources have not established the exact number of migrants rescued from the single dinghy in the English Channel, but it was approximately 140.
The sources have not provided details on the specific initiatives or actions that Pope Leo XIV is calling for to protect migrant children.
What's confirmed
- I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility: let us all feel a sense of involvement in the lives of these young people, who must always be protected and supported.
What's still developing
- "I appeal to everyone's sense of responsibility," the pontiff said.
- On June 12, during the final day of his apostolic journey to Spain, Leo met groups working on migrant integration at the Plaza del Cristo in La Laguna, Tenerife, where he blessed a child, ACI Prensa reported.
- Pope Leo XIV saved the most forceful words of his weekly general audience for its final minutes.
- Four days from now, the Catholic Church holds its annual day for migrants and refugees, and the 2026 edition places children at its center.
- Because the pope spoke in Italian, the original phrase, as transcribed by the Italian news agency ANSA, was "sofferenze indicibili." The Spanish-language translation could be "penurias indecibles" or "penurias indescriptibles." Global data explain the urgency.
- In his remarks on Wednesday, he spoke of the same theme: Next Sunday, September 27, marks the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
- In 2020, there were an estimated 35.5 million international migrant minors globally, the largest number ever recorded.
- At the shrine famous for its healing waters, Pope Leo XIV will meet with sex-abuse victims and address an assembly of French bishops, who continue to deal with fallout from the country’s abuse crisis.
- Father Mollner, a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha, said he’s thankful that Father Flanagan’s canonization process officially took a significant step forward with Pope Leo XIV’s decree on March 23.
- It was a day of joy and thanksgiving for everyone, including the leader of the Omaha Archdiocese, Archbishop Michael G.
- Mass at Dowd Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, giving “thanks to God for the great news that our Holy Father, Pope Leo, has recognized the virtues” of the now Venerable Father Flanagan.
- The Omaha priest who founded Boys Town, lived from 1886 to 1948, and pioneered care for troubled youths.