Pope says anyone who exploits or abuses a child answers to God

Pope Francis has denounced the “scourge” of child labour 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 labour.

“Children occupy a privileged place in God’s heart, and whoever harms them will be accountable to him,” he said.

Francis has frequently decried child labour, especially during his foreign trips. During his 2023 visit to Congo, he denounced how foreign powers and mining interests used children to extract Congo’s precious natural resources, saying they were plundering the continent for the “poison of their own greed”.

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On Wednesday, he said: “Let us think how many children are dying because of hunger, catastrophes, diseases and wars.

“We must firmly prevent and condemn any abuse that minors may suffer.”

Francis did not 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.