Pope Francis brought joy to the children of the Vatican’s Summer Camp yesterday, in what has become an annual tradition for the Holy Father. Source: Vatican News.
The Pope visited the camp and engaged in dialogue with the children and teens who were divided into blue, yellow and green groups, according to age. Their parents are Vatican employees.
It was a colourful scene seeing the children’s hats and t-shirts and the 300 biodegradable balloons released into the sky with the phrase “You are precious in the eyes of God,” which was accompanied by applause, laughter, high-fives, and prayers.
During the brief Q&A, the Pope responded to questions on several topics, including peace, which he referred to as “the most beautiful thing in the world”; the importance of family; staying close to grandparents who “help find the way”; and preparing for the Jubilee “with joy”, which, the Pope pointed out, is very different from mere “fun”.
The event, usually held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, was held at the sports field.
Five children asked questions of the Pope. The first, Paolo, asked, “Who were your knights when you were little?”, making a reference to this year’s theme “Errant Knights”. The Pope immediately responded, “My parents.”
From there, some childhood memories in Argentina of him and his four siblings together at the table with “mum and dad teaching us things.”
“Parents, family make you grow,” the Pope said, and he also spoke of the importance of grandparents.
“They are wonderful,” he said.
Pope Francis made another recommendation to work toward peace.
“Making peace is the most beautiful thing in life and we must learn to make peace at home, when we quarrel, with our siblings, when we get angry.
“Never go to bed without making peace,” he said, making the children repeat this phrase with him three times.
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Pope Francis visits the children of the Vatican Summer Camp (Vatican News)
