Pope Leo XIV has eliminated the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, transferring the committee’s functions to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.
Pope Leo XIV has eliminated the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, established by Pope Francis in November 2024. In a decree published on Feb. 13, the Holy Father reaffirmed the importance of the Church giving special attention to children, in continuity with the intention expressed by his predecessor.
However, with the aim of “fostering greater synergies” and ensuring a more effective organization of this “noble initiative,” the decree stipulates that all the committee’s functionswill be transferred to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, where it has been integrated since August 2025.
The document also establishes the annulment of the acts and regulations adopted to date by the body, which will cease to have legal effect under both canon and civil law.
Likewise, the president, vice president, and other members of the committee are immediately relieved of their duties.
Finally, it states that the prefect of the dicastery, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, must resolve outstanding matters and submit a final liquidation report to the Secretariat for the Economy.
Pope Francis established this day on Dec. 8, 2023. On that occasion, he announced that the first World Children’s Day would be celebrated worldwide on May 25-26, 2024.
Subsequently, Francis established the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day and appointed Father Enzo Fortunato, also director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica and head of the press office of St. Francis of Assisi Basilica, as its president.
The next World Children’s Day will be celebrated Sept. 25–27 and is expected to be a time of encounter, prayer, and celebration involving children and their families from all over the world.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
