Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

The Convention on the Rights of the Child—the most widely accepted human rights treaty in the world—reflects deeply-held values embedded within the Roman Catholic tradition that uphold the inherent dignity of every child and the centrality of the family in building strong communities.

Several key elements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child reflect values shared with the Catholic Church. These include:

• A fundamental belief in the dignity of the child;
• An emphasis on the family as the best place for bringing up children;
• High priority given to children and the idea that all members of society have rights and duties towards them; and
• A holistic notion of the child and a comprehensive understanding of their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

Long before there were child rights organizations or a Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Catholic Church was among the greatest advocates for the world’s neediest children, providing guidance, aid, and comfort to millions of disadvantaged children and families. For Catholics, human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, and Catholics look to the example of Jesus to live their lives. Having arrived in the world as a baby, a state of ultimate vulnerability and dependency, Jesus placed the care and protection of children within families central to his work (Luke 18:16).

Jesus taught his followers that those who perform acts of love are recognized as if they had directly served God: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35–40).

The recorded interactions between Jesus and children demonstrate kindness and dignity, and his reported words about causing children to stumble (Matthew 18:6)—and the consequences for doing so—are among the strongest in the New Testament. Jesus extended this care in a tender and urgent way to children, rebuking his disciples for keeping them away from him: “Let the children come to me” (Matthew 19:14). When Jesus set a little child amidst his disciples and said “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14), he demonstrated enormous regard for children. By blessing and laying his hands on children, Jesus recognized them as people in their own right; he gave them status and dignity (Mark 10:16).

With its extraordinary moral authority and power, the Catholic Church can influence thinking, foster dialogue, and set priorities for members of its communities to avoid preventable child-family separations and promote the care and protection of all children. With almost 1.3 billion believers worldwide, the potential for action is substantial. From the smallest villages to the largest cities, and from districts and provinces to national and international levels, the Catholic Church offers large networks for the care and protection of children and the safeguarding of their rights. The role of the Catholic Church tends to be especially important at the family and community levels, where child rights organizations and governments are generally less able to reach effectively.

Spirituality and religion can have a profound influence on children’s development and socialization and have the potential to reinforce protective influences and promote resilience. The beliefs, practices, social networks, and resources within the Catholic Church can instill hope, give meaning to difficult experiences, and provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to its members.

In many contexts where child rights organizations work, the Catholic Church plays a significant role in determining community attitudes and behavior. Child rights organizations need to understand these dynamics and take religious factors into account to support children and families. Within such contexts, the question is not whether to engage with the Catholic Church, but how. Even within the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church, there is a contextualization of moral theology, its interpretation and implementation into action, and a diversity of perspectives among Church leaders that needs to be understood to identify entry points for dialogue and partnership around even the most sensitive issues.

The distinctions between the Catholic Church and secular structures are not always clear cut, given the important role the Catholic faith plays in the lives of many individuals, including government officials and civil society actors working within secular institutions. There are people working within child rights organizations whose Catholic faith plays an important role and who can serve as a bridge to better understand and engage with the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church can have concerns about partnering with child rights organizations. For example, some Catholics have reservations about working within secular structures and being co-opted or used to achieve secular goals. There are also suspicions for some Catholics about the language of rights contradicting core beliefs and encouraging Catholic communities to compromise their values. It is essential to understand these concerns.

Child rights organizations can also have concerns about partnering with the Catholic Church. There are apprehensions that Catholic-based organizations will pressure aid recipients to convert or only provide aid to those with similar religious views. The Catholic Church has also not always upheld its obligation to protect children. It has at times perpetuated, tolerated, and ignored preventable child-family separations in homes, institutions, communities, and within its own structures, and not actively confronted the suffering that these separations caused. Examples include the role of the Catholic Church during slavery, colonization, residential boarding schools, and orphanages.

Although based on spiritual principles, the Catholic faith, like all religions, is essentially about people, and people of Catholic faith bring all the goodness and weaknesses of their humanity as they live out their expression of their faith.

Ultimately, there is huge potential within the Catholic Church and child rights organizations to partner together to avoid preventable child-family separation. Partnerships are more likely to be productive where there is mutual understanding, respect, trust, open dialogue, and shared priorities. If we can recognize that potential and be open to finding common ground, even when it appears that traditions and customs are at odds, we can achieve much for the most vulnerable children and families.

Stephen Hanmer D’Elía (J.D., LMSW) led UNICEF’s work with religious communities from 2008 to 2012, including the development of global policies and strategies for over 160 country offices. This essay includes adapted excerpts from publications Hanmer D’Elía co-authored, including UNICEF’s Guide to Partnering with Religious Communities, Child Rights Organizations and Religious Communities: Powerful Partnerships for Children, and Engaging Religious Communities to Protect Children From Abuse. He is a research fellow with the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues.