Vatican diplomat condemns child labor, use of children as soldiers
September 16, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Citing Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, a Vatican diplomat described child labor as “a grave violation of human dignity, since every child is a unique and unrepeatable masterpiece of God.”
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council that “exploiting [children] through labor, sometimes of the worst forms, is an ancient scourge and a betrayal of their innocence. It is also one of the most heinous assaults on their human rights.”
“The Holy See is also deeply concerned about the continued recruitment and indiscriminate use of children in armed conflicts, as well as the growing misuse of digital technologies to radicalize them and incite their participation,” he added.
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