Pope Leo XIV confirmed on Wednesday the celebration of the second World Children’s Day, which will take place from September 25 to 27, 2026, in Rome. He made the announcement during the closing remarks of the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, before thousands of faithful gathered despite the cool Roman autumn weather.

“My thoughts also turn to the children, whom I will have the joy of meeting at the World Day dedicated to them, scheduled for September 25-27, 2026,” the Pope told the Italian-speaking pilgrims. Minutes later, a seven-year-old boy named Majd Bernard, from Gaza and accompanied by Father Enzo Fortunato, presented the Pope with the official flag bearing the event’s logo. Leo XIV blessed and signed it, making it a symbol of the journey toward next year’s event.

The gathering, organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, will be a space for prayer, celebration, and reflection on childhood and family, with a special emphasis on “showing children the beauty of peace,” explained Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the dicastery. “Children understand the value of peace well and suffer greatly when they perceive tensions and conflicts around them, whether from their parents or their environment,” Farrell added.

Father Enzo Fortunato emphasized the dramatic reality faced by millions of children: “There are more than two billion children in the world; every day, nearly 13,000 children under the age of five die from preventable causes, and millions more live in conflict zones.” “Together with Pope Leo, we will say that a better future is possible,” he affirmed.

The first World Children’s Day, instituted by Pope Francis, was held in Rome on May 25 and 26, 2024, and brought together nearly 100,000 children from 101 countries at the Olympic Stadium and St. Peter’s Square.

The logo: colorful footprints beneath St. Peter’s dome.  The official emblem shows seven footprints of different colors—representing the continents and cultural diversity—surrounded by St. Peter’s dome in a protective embrace, crowned by the cross. “They recall the simple and authentic gestures of childhood, a sign of universality and purity,” explain the organizers.

In his other greetings, Pope  Leo XIV also mentioned World Fisheries Day, which is celebrated next Friday, and asked Mary, Star of the Sea, to protect fishermen and their families. He also recalled the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe—which will close the Jubilee Year on Sunday the 23rd—and World Youth Day, which will be celebrated that day in dioceses.

Finally, on the commemoration of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (November 21), which in Italy coincides with the Pro Orantibus Day, the Pope requested “concrete solidarity” for contemplative communities: “May they not lack the effective help of the ecclesiastical community to ensure the survival and continuity of their silent, fruitful and irreplaceable apostolate.”

At the end of the audience, as is customary, the Pope warmly greeted young people, the sick, and newlyweds, inviting them to put Christ at the center of their lives.