Children

In a message sent May 12, 2022, to participants of a conference in Rome, Pope Francis said declining birth rates in Italy and Western countries are “impoverishing everyone’s future.”

In the spotlight: Ukraine war, papal health, St. John Paul II

“We live in a time, with digital doorways everywhere, where the opportunities for trauma to our young people are more prevalent than ever,” said Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes.

UNICEF estimated that 2 million children have fled the war in Ukraine in search of safety across borders, and an additional 2.5 million children are displaced within the country.

While there was a mental health crisis among children before the pandemic shut down the world, the fact one in five children ages 3-17 are having a mental, developmental, emotional or behavioral disorder, the isolation, fear and uncertainty has magnified the problem.

The archbishop of Miami said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida had hit a “new low” after the politician said it was “disgusting” to compare Cubans who fled the island-nation as unaccompanied minors in the 1960s with present waves of migrant children from Central America.

A two-week diaper drive benefiting mothers and children of Catholic Charities Domus Transitional Housing starts Monday, Feb. 7, and continues through Friday, Feb. 18.

“Making a parish family-friendly is a practical and spiritual undertaking. It both requires a checklist and an examination of conscience.”