"Even as children, we can learn to be builders of bridges and seek opportunities to help others." This is the conviction of Pope Leo XIV, who, in response to questions from children he met yesterday in the Vatican, encouraged them to seek friendship with Jesus by attending Mass, welcoming those who are different, and committing themselves to building peace.

The occasion was a midday visit to the Paul VI Hall, where more than 300 participants in the Vatican's annual summer camp program had gathered, joined shortly beforehand by an equal number of children from Ukraine hosted by Caritas Italiana.

Responding to three questions posed by three children representing various age groups, the Pope engaged in an informal dialogue with those present. One of the event’s leaders introduced the initiative, now in its sixth year. Coordinated by Salesian priest Father Franco Fontana and organized in a similar way to the youth centers of St. John Bosco. The theme for discussions at the summer camp looks at how to help children overcome prejudice in a time when it’s increasingly difficult to talk, connect, and share words, thoughts, and even playtime with others.

Attending Mass as a child

The first question came from Giulia, who asked if the Pope went to Mass as a child. "Of course!" he answered enthusiastically. "Always, every Sunday, with Mom and Dad." He then shared memories from his childhood in Chicago: "Around age six, I was also an altar server in my parish. Before going to school — it was a parish school — we would attend 6:30 a.m. Mass. Mom always woke us up saying, 'Let’s go to Mass.'" Serving at Mass was something he truly enjoyed. "From an early age, I was taught that Jesus is always near, that He is your best friend, and Mass was a way to find that friend, to be with Jesus — even before my First Communion."

Pope Leo also recalled that back then Mass was in Latin: "We had to learn Latin for Mass, but then it changed to English for me since I was born and raised in the U.S." However, he emphasized, "What mattered wasn’t the language of the celebration, but the experience of being with other kids serving Mass, the friendship, and that closeness to Jesus in the Church. It was always something beautiful."

Building bridges

Next came a question from Edoardo, who, referring to the summer camp’s theme, asked how children can welcome those who are different. The Pope greeted the Ukrainian group in English, noting, "Experiences like this — meeting people from different countries, lands, languages, with so many differences between us — are very important." He encouraged the children to embrace "the experience of encounter, of meeting one another, of mutual respect, and learning to be friends with one another."

Switching back to Italian for the rest of the group, he reminded them that Ukraine is “a land that is suffering greatly because of the war.” Speaking to the challenges of communication due to language differences, he acknowledged, "Yes, it can be hard to understand each other." But he emphasized that when there is an opportunity to meet someone different, it is vital to learn mutual respect. "Don’t focus on the differences," he said. "See how to live an encounter with respect — to build bridges, build friendship, recognize that we can all be friends, brothers, sisters. That way, we can walk together and move forward."

The Pope admitted this isn’t always easy: "Sometimes it takes special effort, because we think, ‘He’s not like me, she’s different, doesn’t speak like me… looks different…’" Still, he stressed the need to "learn to respect each other, to know that we can live together as friends."

Working for peace

Finally, Damiano returned to the topic of the conflict in Ukraine, asking what young people can do to build peace. The Pope responded that "even from a young age, we can all learn to be builders of peace and friendship." He offered practical advice: "Don’t go to war, don’t get into fights, never promote hatred. There are many small things even for you — like when you look at someone and think, ‘I like those shoes, and I don’t have them…’ and then you feel envy or something unpleasant in your heart." Instead, he said, "Jesus calls us to learn to be friends, brothers and sisters to all. In that experience, whether we are Italian, American, Ukrainian — whatever our country — we are all sons and daughters of God."

He urged them to learn from childhood "to have mutual respect," to "see the other as someone like me," and to understand that "they’re not so different. ‘They speak another language; I can’t talk to them’ — that’s not true! There are also gestures. There are ways to approach the other. You can share a bit of bread, find a way to help." 

Pope Leo XIV concluded, "Even the smallest can start seeking opportunities to be promoters of peace, promoters of friendship and love among all."