ROME (AP) 鈥 Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the 鈥渟courge鈥 of child labor and other abuses suffered by children, saying anyone who harms or exploits a child will have to answer to God.
Francis dedicated his first catechism lesson of 2025 to the plight of children, telling his weekly general audience that the faithful cannot remain indifferent to the problem of child labor.
鈥淐hildren occupy a privileged place in God鈥檚 heart, and whoever harms them will be accountable to him,鈥 he said.
Francis has frequently decried child labor, especially . During his 2023 visit to Congo, he denounced how foreign powers and mining interests used children to extract Congo鈥檚 precious natural resources, saying they were plundering the continent for the 鈥減oison of their own greed.鈥
鈥淟et us think how many children are dying because of hunger, catastrophes, diseases and wars,鈥 he said on Wednesday. 鈥淲e must firmly prevent and condemn any abuse that minors may suffer.鈥
Francis didn鈥檛 refer explicitly to the sexual abuse of children by priests, a scandal that has convulsed the Catholic Church for decades.
The 88-year-old pope sounded congested throughout the audience and skipped about half his prepared text. However, he seemed entertained by a performance by an African-themed circus troupe, CircAfrica. The group, which has been performing in Rome, brought acrobats, robot-operated puppet elephants, jugglers and dancers on rollerskates to perform for the pope in the Vatican auditorium.
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