Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi at the photo exhibition: Hope and Dignity for Every Child

(June 4, 2009) The Permanent Mission of the Holy See is very pleased to co-sponsor the event on “Hope and Dignity for Every Child.” The photos and sketches exhibited provide an insight into the situation, the perceptions and feelings of children around the world as they attempt to express an intuition of their human rights, said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations. He was speaking at the inaugural of the photo exhibition at Geneva, entitled, hope and Dignity for every child. In the 20 years of existence of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has made the world more sensitive to the fact that children are the future and must enjoy the rights inherent in every human person, he said. The Prelate expressed that the Catholic Church, reaches out to millions of children in every corner of the world in her educational institutions and through the capillary service of care and protection of its network of voluntary groups. He reminded them of the tragedy that still strikes children. Malnutrition, lack of access to medicines, extreme poverty, the result violence, the miserable existence in camps and detention centres, forced recruitment, cause untold damage. Through the internet, an incredible number of children become victims to trafficking and sexual exploitation. Archbishop Tomasi added that the Holy See fully supports the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and believes that rich and poor children alike should have access to vaccines and medicines. He quoted the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who said: “Every child that is born is a sign that God has not yet despaired of humanity.” Upholding the human rights of children is indeed confidence in the future he concluded with the words of Pope Benedict XVI who said in his recent visit to the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, a courageous engagement shinning “as a beacon of hope that love can prevail over hatred and peace over violence.”