Benedict XVI expressed today an appeal on behalf of the world's children upon receiving the news that two Italian youngsters missing since 2006 were found dead.The Pope's exhortation came in the wake of the discovery of the bodies of Salvatore and Francesco Pappalardi, 11 and 13, missing since June, 2006.
The children's bodies were found Tuesday in a well in the Apulia region of southern Italy, when rescue teams were dispatched to the well to rescue another child who had fallen in.
The Holy Father said after praying the midday Angelus with thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square that the Pappalardis' death, "has deeply sticken me, as it has so many families and persons."
"I would like to take this occasion to launch an appeal on behalf of children: Let us care for our little ones," the Pontiff exhorted. "We must love them and help them to grow. I say this to parents but also to institutions.
"In launching this appeal, I think of childhood in every part of the world, above all of that which is defenseless, exploited and abused. I entrust each child to the heart of Christ, who said, 'Let the children come to me.'"
Autopsies have not yet confirmed whether the siblings' death was homicide or accidental.
Their father has been jailed since November 2007, unable to corroborate his whereabouts during two hours on the day when the children disappeared.
He maintains his innocence.
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