Pope Francis asked Italian children to pray for their peers in Ukraine and Gaza. He encouraged them to be "artisans of peace" as he met with students and teachers of the Italian National Network of the Schools of Peace at the Vatican.
Pope Francis made a special appeal to remember children who were afflicted by war and conflict, especially the children of Ukraine "who have forgotten how to smile." More than 6000 Italian girls and boys visited the Vatican on Friday morning for a special encounter with Pope Francis. The Network of Schools of Peace was conceived after years of work at promoting the permanent education for peace and human rights in the curricula of all schools at every level. The Pope warned that today's challenges are truly global, affect everyone, and require "the courage and creativity of a collective dream that animates an ongoing commitment to facetogether the environmental, economic, and social goals of the world. " He thanked them "for being full of enthusiasm" and for their passionate and generous commitment to working for a better future.