Pope Leo XIV met this Saturday, September 7, 2026, with hundreds of people in the Vatican Gardens for the third edition of Family Day, an event promoted by the Governorate of Vatican City State to celebrate the end of the summer vacation center (Estate Ragazzi) intended for the children of State employees.
During the encounter, the Pope thanked the families present, praising the "great miracle" of dedication to others and classifying the family nucleus as "the mirror in which God looks at Himself," evoking the thought of Saint John Paul II. Leo XIV identified the "two most beautiful miracles" as "giving life" and "giving love," calling on each person to understand "what it means to not live only for myself, not to be selfish, but to give one's life for others."
Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate, intervened to thank the Pope, expressing that the organization considers "a great joy to serve him and help him in a small part in the great mission that has been entrusted to him by the Lord." The moment was also marked by Leo XIV's humor, who played with children using viral expressions from social media, such as "six-seven."
The encounter had the coordination of Father Franco Fontana and the presence of Cardinals Giuseppe Bertello, Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and Ángel Fernández Artime. In his final intervention, the Pope exhorted those present to feel "truly this joy that only God can give us" and to celebrate together "like this mirror of God's love."
