Pope Leo meets with some 160 men and women religious from the Union of Superiors General, encouraging them to make good use of the “extraordinary opportunities” offered by technology—so long as these don't come at the expense of human connection.

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The Justice and Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has welcomed and commended the key resolutions emerging from the recent G20 Leaders’ Summit, recognising their alignment with long-standing calls for global justice, solidarity, and inclusive development.

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CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Friday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and a delegation of Ukrainian mothers, wives, and teenagers forcibly taken to Russia during the war. The group discussed the ongoing efforts being made to secure the return of civilians to Ukraine, particularly children.

At the forefront of the work of repatriation and recovery of Ukrainian children swept up in the country’s war with Russia is Caritas Ukraine, which has prioritized the reintegration of these children, according to Liliia Chulitska, an information expert with Caritas Ukraine.

Caritas Ukraine is made up of cooperating organizations and operates as part of the international network Caritas Internationalis, the social ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. It has been implementing humanitarian, social, and recovery programs throughout Ukraine for over 30 years, with a primary focus on humanitarian assistance in more than 15 regions of Ukraine.

Chulitska explained that when it comes to the repatriation of Ukrainian children, Caritas Ukraine cooperates with Ukraine’s Ombudsman’s Office once children are returned to Ukraine and, as a service provider, assesses the children’s needs and provides direct assistance.

Bring Kids Back UA Task Force said it has recorded more than 19,000 cases of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children. The children’s welfare organization, Save the Children, reported the same number, while a report from the Yale School of Public Health in September said the number of children could be as high as 35,000.

A U.N.-backed investigation in 2023 accused Russia of war crimes for its forced transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children in areas it controlled, but Russia has denied committing these crimes.

The plight of Ukrainian children

There are various circumstances by which Ukrainian children have ended up in Russia or in Russia-controlled territory separated from their families and communities. 

The Yale report identified “more than 8,400 children who have been systematically relocated to at least 57 facilities — including 13 facilities in Belarus and 43 facilities in Russia and Russia-occupied territory.” The report further accuses Russia of targeting “vulnerable groups of children for deportation, including orphans, children with disabilities, children from low-income families, and children with parents in the military.”

A joint report by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, with the support of Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, claims that the Russian Federation “has consistently implemented a policy of eradicating the Ukrainian identity of children from the occupied territories.”

The report further states that “deportations, forcible transfer, separation from parents, transfer to Russian families, imposition of citizenship, political indoctrination, Russification, and militarization are the tools used to compel Ukrainian children to become enemies of their own nation.” 

Russia has denied these allegations and justified the transfer of children as “humanitarian evacuations for the children’s safety.” The Russian government has also denied accusations of war crimes, even as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in 2023.

When they arrive home

Last month, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump announced that after ongoing conversations with Putin about repatriating Ukrainian children caught up in the war, “some have been returned to their families with more to be reunited soon.” 

While locating and returning a Ukrainian child generally requires a highly coordinated effort on the part of many parties, after a child returns the main work Caritas Ukraine focuses on is the adaptation and psychological recovery of the child, according to Chulitska. “This is the task of our case managers and psychologists,” she said.

A project specialist meets the child and their accompanying person at the border and they travel together to Kyiv, where a meeting is held at the Child Protection Center with representatives of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care. 

A case manager then draws up a needs assessment report, and a psychologist conducts a consultation. A plan is then developed for the entire support period to meet the child’s basic needs and resolve any legal issues through documentation. If necessary, children undergo a medical examination.

After that, the child goes to his or her place of residence and is provided with basic necessities. To catch up on the child’s education, tutors are hired if necessary. 

Chulitska said the team of specialists maintains constant contact with the family, provides guidance on social issues, and offers psychological support. Monitoring visits are conducted regularly.

This period lasts from three to six months in accordance with international standards, and after the support period ends, the local child welfare service continues to monitor the family to ensure they receive support as needed.

According to a Bring Kids Back white paper issued in October 2024: “Effective reintegration requires the close collaboration of many state institutions, child protection organizations, and international actors. A central element is coordination.” 

As of Nov. 21, according to Bring Kids Back, 1,835 сhildren have “returned from deportation, forced transfers, or temporarily occupied territories.”

Caritas Ukraine said it has provided assistance to some of these children and that it has also assisted at least 11 children since the war broke out who are victims of human trafficking. 

Caritas operates through an extensive network of more than 49 local organizations and over 300 active parish assistance centers. The network’s strategic goals are to “promote the restoration of people’s dignified lives, facilitate the integration of victims into communities, strengthen the social protection system, and contribute to the development of a peaceful and just society.”

EWTN News, Nov 26, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Slovenian voters have rejected a proposed euthanasia law in a Nov. 23 referendum, blocking legislation that would have allowed terminally ill patients to end their lives. The bill, passed by the Slovenian Parliament four months earlier, was opposed by 53.43% of voters, preventing it from taking effect.

Under Slovenian law, Sunday’s vote freezes the matter for at least 12 months, after which Parliament may consider a new version of the bill.

A year earlier, a nonbinding referendum indicated public openness to regulated euthanasia, prompting the governing coalition to draft and pass the legislation in July 2025. But opposition quickly mobilized. The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and other conservative groups denounced the proposal as undermining human dignity and devaluing the lives of the most vulnerable.

The Slovenian Bishops’ Conference also publicly opposed the legislation. Citing Article 17 of the Slovenian Constitution — which states that “human life is inviolable” — the bishops urged lawmakers to strengthen systemic medical, human, and spiritual support for those in need. They called for greater investment in palliative care and related services rather than pursuing policies that permit the direct termination of life.

A coalition of civil and conservative organizations, led by Aleš Primc of the Voice for the Children and the Family party, launched a citizens’ initiative that gathered more than 40,000 signatures — enough to force a binding referendum on the divisive issue.

The rejected bill would have allowed mentally competent patients with no chance of recovery — or those suffering unbearable pain — to access assisted euthanasia. It required patients to self-administer the life-ending medication, contingent on approval by two doctors and a legally mandated waiting period to ensure the decision was voluntary and sustained.

Bishops, civil society welcome result

The metropolitan archbishop of Ljubljana, Archbishop Stanislav Zore, OFM, welcomed the outcome with gratitude, saying he sees “God at work in our time.” He thanked organizers and citizens who publicly defended the value of human life and praised medical and legal professionals for voicing their concerns clearly.

The archbishop stressed, however, that this was not a moment for celebration but for gratitude and renewed resolve. He urged believers to remain guided by conscience, resist pressures to seek “easy and comfortable paths,” and remain open to discerning “good from evil.”

Debate across Europe

Across Europe, end-of-life legislation varies widely. Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands permit euthanasia performed by a physician, while Germany, Italy, and Austria allow only assisted suicide under specific legal conditions.

The Slovenian result comes amid growing debate across Europe over euthanasia and assisted suicide, with Catholic leaders frequently raising concerns about vulnerable populations, conscientious objection for medical professionals, and the erosion of care-based alternatives.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanksgiving is a "beautiful feast" that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Say thank you to someone," the pope suggested two days before the U.S. holiday when he met reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo before returning to the Vatican after a day off.

Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was scheduled to spend his Thanksgiving Nov. 27 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, the first stops on his first foreign trip as pope.

A reporter asked the pope what he was thankful for this year.

"Many things I'm thankful for," he responded.

He described Thanksgiving as "this beautiful feast that we have in the United States, which unites all people, people of different faiths, people who perhaps do not have the gift of faith."

The holiday is an opportunity "to say thank you to someone, to recognize that we all have received so many gifts -- first and foremost, the gift of life, the gift of faith, the gift of unity, to encourage all people to try and promote peace and harmony and to give thanks to God for the many gifts we have been given." 

Pope Leo was asked about his upcoming trip, particularly about relations with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who will host the pope for several prayer services in addition to having a private meeting and lunch with him.

"This trip was born precisely to celebrate 1,700 years of the Creed of Nicaea, the Council of Nicaea" and what it affirmed about Jesus, the pope said.

In his apostolic letter, "In Unitate Fidei" ("In the Unity of Faith"), published Nov. 23, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of the anniversary and of the Creed that all mainline Christians still share.

"Unity in the faith," he told the reporters, "can also be a source of peace for the whole world." 

Pope Leo also was asked if he was concerned about going to Lebanon when Israel continues to strike what it says are Hezbollah and Hamas positions in Lebanon. Israel said it killed Hezbollah's top military leader Nov. 23 in a suburb of Beirut; Lebanon said the strike killed five other people as well and wounded 28 more.

"It's always a concern," the pope said. "Again, I would invite all people to look for ways to abandon the use of arms as a way of solving problems and to come together, to respect one another, to sit down together at the table, to dialogue and to work together for solutions for the problems that affect us."

"I am very happy to be able to visit Lebanon," the pope said. "The message will be a word of peace, a word of hope, especially this year of the Jubilee of hope."
 

Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for the month of December, and invites the faithful to pray that Christians living in the midst of war may be seeds of peace.

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The Archbishop of Nampula and President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, Archbishop Inacio Saure, has issued an urgent plea for immediate humanitarian support to aid over 30,000 displaced individuals in the Alua district of Memba.

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As Pope Leo XIV prepares to depart on his first Apostolic Journey, which takes him to Türkiye and Lebanon on November 27 to December 2, our Editorial Director explores the visit as a sign of unity and peace for the Middle East.

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The Secretariat for the Economy publishes the Consolidated Financial Statements for 2024, revealing a possible financial turning point that will require confirmation in the future.

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