“When we heard the words of the Holy Father, Pope Leo (during the Sunday Angelus), we all felt assured because we felt the solidarity and closeness of the Pope and of everyone here in Mozambique,” Archbishop João Carlos Hatoa Nunes of Maputo Archdiocese has said. He made the remarks in an interview with Vatican News.

Read all

 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The world continues to fall short of protecting and caring for its children, leaving them with few opportunities to succeed and at greater risk of suffering abuse, Pope Leo XIV said in a speech Feb. 5. 

In his address to the steering committee of the project "From Crisis to Care: Catholic Action for Children," Pope Leo praised the Catholic organizations for their work with children, and he shared concerns about the lack of progress globally. 

"Regrettably, I see that the situation of children today has not improved during the past year, and it is also of deep concern to learn of the lack of progress in protecting children from danger," he said in the Apostolic Palace's Clementine Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Leo expressed further worry over international priorities.

"One must question whether global commitments for sustainable development have been cast aside when we see in our global human family that so many children still live in extreme poverty, suffer abuse and are forcibly displaced, not to mention that they lack proper education and are isolated or separated from their families," the pope said.

As of August 2025, only 35% of the United Nations' sustainability goals were on track or making moderate progress, according to the most recent UN report on Sustainable Development Goals. These targets were created a decade ago by more than 190 countries as a promise to work toward ending poverty, protecting the planet and addressing inequalities by 2030.

Of the 17 targets, the report said that nearly half were progressing too slowly and another 18% were actually regressing. Last March, the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration formally rejected the goals for the United States, saying that they infringed on the country's sovereignty. 

Global poverty has remained at a near standstill, with continual extreme poverty affecting one in ten people worldwide, according to a United Nations report last year. The World Bank's most recent Poverty and Shared Prosperity report agreed, projecting 2020-2030 to be "a lost decade," due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nearly half of the world's population --  44% -- survives on less than $6.85 a day, an income considered basic in upper-middle-income countries, the World Bank report said. At this rate of progress, ending extreme poverty would take decades -- and lifting people above this income level would take more than a century.

As for global education efforts, UNESCO's annual Global Education Monitoring Report last year found that the number of children who are still not in school -- 251 million -- has barely changed since 2015. Three out of four children in developing countries cannot read and understand simple text by the age of 10. 

The pope recognized that Catholic organizations often serve children through specialized missions, but warned that focusing too narrowly on one area may leave other needs unmet, urging greater collaboration to ensure holistic care.

"I urge you, however, to find ways to work together in greater harmony so that children receive care that is well balanced, taking into consideration their physical, psychological and spiritual welfare," he said. 

He recognized his predecessor's work last year, convening the first International Summit on Children's Rights, where experts and leaders from various nations explored opportunities for safeguarding children globally. Pope Leo asked the committee to address concerns raised at the summit and to support "those who have no voice."

"Keep that in mind when the temptation to be discouraged arises because of failed initiatives, seeming lack of interest from others or the sense that the situation is not improving," he said. "Let the good you know you are doing carry you forward."

In a Rescript, Leo XIV approves the new Statute of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, established in 1984 to alleviate the suffering of those living in this region and affected by drought, desertification, and famine.

Read all

 

Catholic leaders, religious congregations, humanitarian organizations, and child-protection experts from around the world meet in Rome to strengthen the Church’s response to the escalating world crises facing children.

Read all

 

Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for the month of Feburary, and invites Catholics to pray with him to recognize the face of God in every suffering child.

Read all

 

In the rugged terrain and remote communities of Papua New Guinea, geographical landscape often limits access to pastoral and social services. The Franciscan Sisters of Mary (FSM) offer a quiet and steadfast presence, making a profound difference in the pastoral life of the local Church.

Read all

 

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, called for nations to help individuals, families, and other groups to achieve the common good by promoting social development and social justice.

Read all

 

St. Agatha, also known as Agatha of Sicily, is one of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of the Catholic Church. It is believed that she was born around 231 in either Catania or Palermo, Sicily to a rich and noble family. From her very early years, the notably beautiful Agatha dedicated her life to God. She became a consecrated virgin, a state in life where young women choose to remain celibate and give themselves wholly to Jesus and the Church in a life of prayer and service. That did ...

Addressing young priests and monks from the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Pope Leo XIV upholds their shared common heritage and encourages all efforts to support one another, 'so that we may grow in our shared faith in Christ, who is the ultimate source of our peace.'

Read all

 

Pope Leo XIV renews the Church’s call to place children at the heart of global concern, warning that despite international commitments, the situation of the world’s youngest remains deeply troubling.

Read all