A 3D rendering of the Living Wall: Monument to the Unborn by the architect of the Living Wall, bringing to life the painted design by Arkansas artist Lakey Goff. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Lakey Goff

CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Amid the sounds of Arkansas’ waterfalls, women who have had abortions will someday be able to find healing at a “living wall” memorial covered in flora and fauna, where the names of unborn children will be inscribed on the hexagonal stone floor thanks to local artist Lakey Goff, who submitted the living wall design, which was selected for Arkansas’ monument for the unborn.

The memorial will be on state property, but funding must come from the people. Now Goff and other Arkansians are fundraising for the living wall.

On Saturday morning, participants gathered at sunrise at Two Rivers Park in Little Rock to kick off the first annual Living Wall 5K — a race to fundraise for the memorial.

Several groups, both local and national — including LIFE Runners, Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center, and Arkansas Right to Life — showed up to kick off the first annual 5K. 

Fundraising began in May 2024 and has reached nearly $30,000; but the living wall’s proposed budget, as of 2025, is estimated to be $1 million.

November has been set aside as a month to remember the unborn in a proclamation signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Goff shared with CNA that her inspiration for the wall comes from her faith in Jesus. She hopes it will be a place of healing for women who have had abortions.

CNA: What inspired the design and the Bible message accompanying it? Why a living wall?

Lakey Goff: The monument itself is alive with plants, photosynthesis, and oxygen: There’ll be birds that live in it; there are the sound of seven different waterfalls that I’ve recorded from around Arkansas coming off the top of this wall in an audio loop. That is the sound of Jesus’ voice — the sound of many waters. 

Then, underneath, you’ll see on there are pavers where women have begun to name their babies that were aborted, to put dates when they were aborted and even Scriptures. It’s a way to be healed and set free and say this happened, where they’re no longer locked up in guilt and shame; and so the babies’ names will be underneath our feet in these hexagonal pavers. 

I believe this monument is from the heart of God, the heart of the Father, as he wants to heal our land from the bloodshed in our nation, starting in the state of Arkansas to lead the way. 

Why is this monument important? 

We don’t want to forget what happened during the 50 years of bloodshed, of innocent babies’ bloodshed in our state. It is an act of repentance, and it is saying, “This will not happen again.” We’re saying, “I’m sorry, God, and we want to honor you and honor life.”

This is the very first living wall monument to the unborn in our nation — and so that’s why it’s taking a little while, because it’s never been done before. 

What inspired you to send in a design after the 2023 bill passed? 

I’ve always been an artist, but I was not in any way involved, at least in my adult years, with the pro-life movement or in the political realm. 

I said, “Lord, is there anything that you want to do for this monument?” And I immediately received a blueprint from the Holy Spirit of the details about this living wall. 

I received clearly that the Lord wanted to heal women and families who had abortions and who were held captive by guilt and shame. And he gave me Isaiah 61: He wants to give us double honor for shame; he wants to set the captives free.

What do you hope people will take away from experiencing it?   

It will be an actual place for women, children, families to come and be healed. It’s a place for repentance. It’s a place of life, vitality. There’s nothing dead about Jesus — he’s the risen King.

Even in the process, women, children, families have already started to be healed. I believe what they will take away from it is an encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and his healing: He came for the lost, not the righteous.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

The main altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. / Credit: Jorge Royan (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has issued a new decree revising the financial and administrative norms governing the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Mary Major, bringing both institutions under the ordinary oversight of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, in the latest act of fine-tuning of economic reforms undertaken by his predecessor Pope Francis.

The pope writes that the Holy See’s economic and financial reform requires “periodic reevaluation and redefinition” of the applicable regulatory framework. 

The letter motu proprio, dated Sept. 29, 2025, was promulgated this month when it was posted in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. It has not previously been reported by the media.

The decree abrogates two earlier such decrees concerning the Fabric of St. Peter’s and the Chapter of St. Mary Major. Under the updated provisions, both the Fabbrica — which oversees the care, maintenance, and artistic patrimony of St. Peter’s Basilica — and the Chapter of St. Mary Major are now subject to the same forms of oversight established for other entities listed under the statutes of the Council for the Economy and in Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution that reorganized the Roman Curia.

To ensure what Pope Leo calls an “immediate and structured transition,” the Secretariat for the Economy will coordinate implementation along with a consultative group to help resolve questions or issues that might arise. The law will eventually be published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official gazette of the Holy See.

In October, Pope Leo XIV issued the decree Coniuncta Cura, a major financial reform that ended the Vatican Bank’s exclusive role in managing Holy See investments and allowed APSA and other accredited intermediaries to handle funds when advantageous. The change, which reverses a 2022 centralization under Pope Francis, aims to diversify management, improve returns, and strengthen the Holy See’s long-term financial sustainability amid rising operational costs.

The main altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. / Credit: Jorge Royan (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has issued a new decree revising the financial and administrative norms governing the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Mary Major, bringing both institutions under the ordinary oversight of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, in the latest act of fine-tuning of economic reforms undertaken by his predecessor Pope Francis.

The pope writes that the Holy See’s economic and financial reform requires “periodic reevaluation and redefinition” of the applicable regulatory framework. 

The letter motu proprio, dated Sept. 29, 2025, was promulgated this month when it was posted in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. It has not previously been reported by the media.

The decree abrogates two earlier such decrees concerning the Fabric of St. Peter’s and the Chapter of St. Mary Major. Under the updated provisions, both the Fabbrica — which oversees the care, maintenance, and artistic patrimony of St. Peter’s Basilica — and the Chapter of St. Mary Major are now subject to the same forms of oversight established for other entities listed under the statutes of the Council for the Economy and in Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution that reorganized the Roman Curia.

To ensure what Pope Leo calls an “immediate and structured transition,” the Secretariat for the Economy will coordinate implementation along with a consultative group to help resolve questions or issues that might arise. The law will eventually be published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official gazette of the Holy See.

In October, Pope Leo XIV issued the decree Coniuncta Cura, a major financial reform that ended the Vatican Bank’s exclusive role in managing Holy See investments and allowed APSA and other accredited intermediaries to handle funds when advantageous. The change, which reverses a 2022 centralization under Pope Francis, aims to diversify management, improve returns, and strengthen the Holy See’s long-term financial sustainability amid rising operational costs.

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The post Does the church support universal health care? | Eilis McCulloh appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Readings (Year A): Isaiah 2:1 – 5Psalm 122: 1 – 2, 3 – 4, 4 – 5, 6 – 7, 8 – 9Romans 13:11 – 14Matthew 24:37 – 44 Reflection: May we be the hope this Advent season The readings that open this Advent season and our new liturgical year are more apocalyptic than those […]

The post A reflection for first Sunday of Advent appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Statue of St. John XXIII in the courtyard of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Istanbul. / Credit: Souhail Lawand/ACI MENA

ACI MENA, Nov 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s journey to Turkey and Lebanon carries significant historical and diplomatic symbolism. His decision to make the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk his first stop immediately recalls the legacy of his predecessor, St. John XXIII, who became a cultural and spiritual bridge between East and West, very much like Istanbul (formerly called Constantinople), the city he arrived in 90 years ago.

In January 1935, only weeks after being appointed apostolic delegate to both Turkey and Greece, Archbishop Angelo Roncalli — the future St. John XXIII — arrived at Istanbul’s Haydar Pasha train station from Bulgaria. He began his mission in a country that at the time had no formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

Immediately after his arrival, he began assessing the situation of the Catholic churches and communities across the country — Jesuits, Capuchins, Maronites, Melkites, Syriacs, and others. In an unprecedented gesture, he later met with the ecumenical patriarch.

Roncalli also played an important humanitarian role in relation to other minority groups, particularly helping Jewish refugees from Poland flee their homeland during World War II.

He carried out his mission in Turkey for 10 years, during which he lived through the final years of Atatürk’s life. With rare diplomatic instinct, he understood the political and social transformation underway in modern Turkey. He respected the nation’s secular laws, including the law banning religious clothing outside places of worship, and made sure to abide by them.

The future pope faced significant challenges at first, since relations between the Turkish authorities and the Catholic Church were strained prior to his arrival. Yet he quickly and skillfully built bridges of trust with the young republic, earning the respect of its officials. He developed friendly relations with many Turkish figures, among them the diplomat Numan Menemencioğlu, who later became foreign minister.

Roncalli was also the first bishop to use the Turkish language in the celebration of the Mass, reading a passage from the Gospel in Turkish during the 1935 Christmas liturgy. He believed ignoring the local language would be a sign of disrespect toward the people.

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Turkish newspapers highlighted Roncalli as one of the leading candidates to succeed him and followed the conclave closely. Upon his election as Pope John XXIII, Turkey was among the first countries to congratulate him, acknowledging the positive impact he had left behind.

In 1959, Turkish President Celâl Bayar visited the Vatican and met the pope, who expressed his longing for Istanbul and the Bosphorus. He praised Turkish Catholics as faithful citizens. During that visit, the two sides agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations, which officially began the following year and paved the way for future papal trips to Istanbul, with the sole exception of John Paul I, whose papacy lasted only 33 days.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Istanbul in 2006, a statue of St. John XXIII was unveiled. Originally installed in the courtyard of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, whose entrance today is adorned with an image of the saintly pope, the statue was later moved to the courtyard of St. Anthony of Padua Church.

Beneath the statue is an inscription reading: “Pope John XXIII, a Friend of the Turkish People.” The inscription reflects his many expressions of affection toward them, including his well-known phrase: “I love the Turkish people.” The Turkish public returned this affection, famously giving him the nickname “the Turkish Pope.”

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV meets with Ukrainian children who were welcomed by Caritas Italy during the summer on July 3, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

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.”

Pope Leo XIV meets with Ukrainian children who were welcomed by Caritas Italy during the summer on July 3, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

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

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.

null / Credit: Patrick Thomas/Shutterstock

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.

null / Credit: Patrick Thomas/Shutterstock

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

Slovenia rejected euthanasia legislation in a Nov. 23 referendum, with 53% voting against the law backed by Catholic bishops and civil groups.