Pope Francis on Monday decried the deaths of children in global conflicts, telling a Vatican summit that "nothing is worth the life of a child". Francis, who has been critical of both Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the ongoing violence of the Russia-Ukraine war,

The pontiff participated in most of the first day of the summit, at which he gave an opening speech on the importance of protecting children at the margins of society.

The pontiff opened the two-day summit on Feb. 3 with a reflection on the many ways children are oppressed today, including living through war, poverty, as undocumented migrants, and without access to adequate food,