ROME - With so many children in the world needing a good home and so many couples unable to have children, there must be a way to make adoption easier and less costly, Pope Francis said.
Meeting May 24 with representatives of the Institute of the Innocents from Florence, Italy, Francis said he was struck by the idea that, in the old days, when a baby was left at the institute, he or she would be given half of a medal, while the mother would be given the other half.
“Today in the world there are many children who have half a medal,” the pope said. “They are alone, the victims of war, victims of migration, unaccompanied minors, victims of famine.”
“Who has the other half?” the pope asked. “Mother church. We have the other half. We must reflect and help our people understand that we are responsible for that other half and help create another ‘house of the innocents,’ one that is more global, with an attitude of adoption.”
“So many times there are people who want to adopt children, but there is such massive bureaucracy,” he said. Sometimes there also is corruption and a desire for money.