[From Devin Watkins, “Pope creates new Pontifical Committee for World Day of Children,” Vatican News, November 20, 2024.] 

Pope Francis upheld the importance of children in his Chirograph [a papal decree to the Roman curia] establishing the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, which was released on Wednesday. ...

In his Chirograph, Pope Francis noted that the social status of children has changed greatly throughout human history.

“In Jesus' time, children were not highly regarded,” he said. “They were considered "not-yet-men" and were even seen as a nuisance by rabbis focused on explaining the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

Jesus, added the Pope, overturns this mentality and urges His own disciples to imitate the wonder with which children approach life…