Pope Leo urges protection for migrant children

Pope Leo used his September 23 audience to urge people and institutions to take responsibility for protecting migrant and refugee children, saying minors forced to leave their homelands face violence, exploitation and other severe dangers. His appeal came ahead of the Catholic Church’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, scheduled for September 27, 2026, with children at the center of this year’s observance. Leo said children and teenagers compelled to migrate are especially vulnerable and may endure violence, torture, exploitation and traumatic conditions. He added that some die along migration routes. The remarks were made at the end of his weekly public audience, and focused on the responsibility to protect and support young people displaced from their homes. The 2026 observance carries the theme “Even Just One of These Children,” drawn from the Gospel of Matthew. The annual World Day is held on the last Sunday of September. Leo’s appeal addressed migrant and refugee children broadly and did not single out a particular country. In a message for the observance issued in August, Leo called for children’s best interests to guide decisions affecting them.