The Vatican has released Pope Benedict XVI's message for the 17th World Day of the Sick. This day of recognition takes place each year on February 11, the Feast of our Lady of Lourdes. This year's message focuses on the plight of children around the world. For many of us blessed enough to think of childhood as a joyful time marked by birthday parties, long summer vacations, and relatively low stress we need to realize that for millions of children that is simply not the case. Whether it is the hundreds of thousands traficked each year in the booming international sex trade, the countless thousands toiling as slaves in factories across southeast Asia or the homelsss children who populate many of the world's biggest cities, no one can deny the terror faced by millions of children around the world. I strongly encourage you to read Pope Benedict's message and to listen to his strong plea for us to listen to our conscience and to become instruments of peace. Check it out HERE.