Pope meets young people returned to Ukraine from Russia

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanks to a handful of countries, including the Vatican, some 1,600 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia have been reunited with family members in Ukraine.

Four of the young people met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican Nov. 21 to express their thanks and to ask for a more formal, systematic effort to facilitate the return of at least 19,000 Ukrainian children believed to be in Russia.

The young people were accompanied by family members; Iryna Vereshchuk, an official in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is working on the project, "Bring Kids Back Ukraine"; Andrii Yurash, Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See; and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

In a statement from her office, Klobuchar said, "Pope Leo is a true moral force for peace and justice and a champion for children around the world. It was an honor to meet him as part of our mission to bring home the Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and chart a path towards peace and healing for Ukraine."

"We cannot accept a world where children are abducted during wartime and used as hostages for negotiations," the statement continued. "The United States must remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine's fight for freedom, and we should all heed Pope Leo's example of serving those in need, pursuing the common good, and calling for peace."