In his first 2025 catechism lesson, Pope says anyone who exploits or abuses a child answers to God

ROME — Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the “scourge” 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.

“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 labor, 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.”

“Let us think how many children are dying because of hunger, catastrophes, diseases and wars,” he said on Wednesday. “We must firmly prevent and condemn any abuse that minors may suffer.”

Francis didn’t 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.