The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development explained that the pope chose this title to emphasize the duty to welcome migrant and refugee children.
“Even Just One of These Children” is the title chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be held on Sept. 27.
As reported by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in an April 9 statement, the title chosen by the pontiff makes direct reference to the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Mt 18:5).
In doing so, the Holy Father wishes to express the Church’s concern for minors who, due to various circumstances, are compelled to undergo the experience of migration.
Through this theme, Pope Leo XIV appeals to the responsibility of the Church and of all the faithful, “recalling the duty to welcome each one of them, as the Gospel teaches us,” according to the statement.
As the dicastery pointed out, the current migration landscape poses new challenges that seriously threaten the rights and dignity of children, thereby requiring urgent and effective responses.
“It is not a matter of discussing numbers or percentages, because ‘even just one’ has the highest value,” the dicastery emphasized.
The Catholic Church has observed this day since 1914 to demonstrate its concern for vulnerable people who are forced to flee their homes.
The dicastery also invited the faithful to reflect and to pray for all those individuals facing numerous challenges and to raise awareness regarding the opportunities that migration can offer.
In his message for the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the Holy Father affirmed that Catholic refugees “can become missionaries of hope in the countries that welcome them” while emphasizing their capacity to “revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and weighed down.”
On the occasion of the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking in February, the pope also denounced the “the same logic of dominion and disregard for human life,” particularly toward displaced persons, migrants, and refugees.
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.
