By Devin Watkins

At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV blessed and signed a flag bearing the official logo of the 2026 World Children’s Day.

“My thoughts go to children, whom I will have the joy of encountering on the Day dedicated to them, which is scheduled for September 25-27, 2026,” he said as he greeted Italian-speaking pilgrims.

Afterwards, a 7-year-old boy from Gaza, Majd Bernard, presented the flag to the Pope, together with Fr. Enzo Fortunato, OFM Conv., President of the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day (WCD).

According to a press release from the Committee, World Children’s Day will be “a moment of encounter, prayer, and celebration involving children and their families from all over the world.”

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, said the Church wishes to pay attention to children and families.

“Children must be shown the beauty of peace—peace lived first of all within their families, in the places they frequent, and in the whole world,” said the Cardinal. “Children understand well the value of peace and suffer greatly when they sense tension and conflict around them, starting with their parents or in their surroundings.”

Cardinal Farrell expressed his hopes that the second WCD will offer “a beautiful opportunity for the Church to show closeness to children and their families, giving them hope and joy.”

The logo for the 2026 event, borne by the flag presented to the Pope on Wednesday, includes seven footprints, representing the seven continents.

According to the press release, the footprints recall the “simple and authentic gestures of childhood, a sign of the universality and purity of the little ones.”

Its various colors represent the diversity of cultures and form a harmony that seeks to welcome and value differences.

The Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica offers a symbolic embrace that “welcomes and protects children from all over the world, with the cross recalling the passion and resurrection of Christ.”

The first World Children’s Day, held in 2024, saw around 100,000 children in attendance, hailing from 101 nations.

“With the second edition in 2026,” noted the press release, “the Church renews her commitment to listening to and valuing the voices of the little ones, protagonists of a world that longs for peace, welcome, and a future.”