Pope Leo XIV receives a canvas with the handprints of Guatemalan children
Diego Martínez, president of the Guatemalan association Yo Quiero la Paz del Mundo, gave the pope a painted olive tree marked with the handprints of children helped by the group, several of them victims of violence or abuse
Pope Leo XIV received a canvas bearing the handprints of vulnerable Guatemalan children on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during the general audience in St. Peter's Square.
Diego Martínez, president of the Asociación Yo Quiero la Paz del Mundo (I Want Peace for the World Association), presented the work as a living testimony that peace is built through concrete gestures: education, solidarity and hope. The canvas shows an olive tree stamped with the handprints of children helped by the association, several of them victims of violence or abuse. It expresses the children's desire to take part in building a different future.
The children's voice
"This canvas represents the voice and the hope of many children who, despite the difficulties they have lived through, want to be protagonists in building peace," Martínez said as he presented the work to the pope.
Martínez told the pope that the children themselves painted the canvas and that seeing their work reach the Vatican had a special meaning for them. "Their small handprints reach the heart of the Vatican and the world as a message that peace can be sown and that we can all help it grow," he said.
Martínez said the children wanted to send a message from Guatemala to the rest of the world.
The Tree of Peace
The gift is part of the association's Tree of Peace project, which involves planting olive trees at schools, media outlets, embassies and public spaces. The trees are intended as living symbols of peace and as an invitation to care for the environment. Each tree carries the image of a small handprint turned into a seed, along with a message that crosses borders. Peace, the message says, is not only a longing but a task that can begin with an outstretched hand, a shared meal, a scholarship or a planted tree.
Work for peace
The association runs food distribution days, peace education programs and scholarships for children in vulnerable situations, with support from young volunteers and private donations. Its work has extended to Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, Paraguay and Panama, where it has organized solidarity efforts and days of prayer for peace.
Martínez said peace has to be addressed as a whole. "We cannot talk about peace if we see a child who is hungry, we see a child without education," he said.
Exhibition in Rome
During its stay in Rome, the association is also presenting a photography exhibition at the Embassy of Guatemala to the Holy See, with images of its work alongside vulnerable families.
