Pope Francis on Thursday said he was asking for child migrants to be protected by the Holy Family: the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph.
"I entrust all child migrants to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth," the Pope tweeted from his nine-language @pontifex account.
"May they watch over and accompany each one on their journey."
Francis earlier on Thursday urged nations to safeguard child migrants from "evil" exploiters by adopting policies to protect them and ensure their social integration.
"Among migrants, children constitute the most vulnerable group," read his message issued ahead of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
"Migrant children easily end up at the lowest levels of human degradation, where illegality and violence destroy the future of too many innocents, while the network of child abuse is difficult to break up," the message warned.
