“We, with God, have to be like this: safe in God's arms like a baby in his mother's arms,” these are the words of Pope Francis surrounded by children. 

The “Children's Table” was a tender moment of encounter at the World Meeting on Human Fraternity in Rome. 

Organized as a part of the preparation for the upcoming World Children's Day on May 25 and 26 in Rome, dozens of children crowned with laurels flooded the synod hall where they met with Pope Francis. 

In an informal exchange, the Holy Father engaged in a game of questions and answers with the children, asking them to define happiness, peace and friendship. The Children’s Table was also a part of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, organized by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation under name #BeHuman, which took place on May 10-11 in the Vatican. 

Spanning two days, the meeting involved 12 thematic roundtables in which experts from around the world engaged in dialogue on the most pressing issues of our contemporary world, from a perspective of fraternity inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti. 

Topics such as sustainability, education, health and social media were discussed by the participants, which included women, men, and organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as human rights activists. 

Pope Francis attended one of the roundtables, titled “Children: Future generations”, in which most of the participants were children. In his address to the little ones, the pope stressed that the future of humanity depends on young and old working together. 

“The future of humankind,” the Pope said, “rests on two pillars: the young and the elderly. It lies in the interplay between children and grandparents. This is a beautiful thing, which urges us to take care of the elderly, of grandparents and of children. This will be the future, because grandparents impart their wisdom to us, while children learn from the wisdom of grandparents. Grandparents have a whole past that enriches us, while children inherit a future shaped by the past.” 

At the end of the children’s roundtable, the Holy Father signed a copy of “the “Children’s Declaration on Fraternity,” a declaration written by the children themselves, expressing what fraternity means to them. 

The World Meeting concluded in the portico of St. Peter's Basilica with a concert featuring artists Giovanni Allevi, Roberto Vecchioni, and American country singer Garth Brooks. 

Adapted by Jacob Stein 

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