Pontiff embraces 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee
January 03, 2026
» Continue to this story on Giornale La Voce
CWN Editor's Note: A newspaper based in Chivaso, Italy, reported that Pope Leo XIV embraced a 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee girl and listened attentively to her during his December 31 general audience.
“For Christmas, she didn’t ask for gifts to unwrap,” Giornale La Voce reported. “Her gift was the opportunity to meet the Pope. She wanted to feel heard and supported in her hope, and Leo XIV allowed her to experience all of this.”
The newspaper reported that the girl and her mother now live in Castellamonte, Italy, and that the girl is suffering from an aggressive tumor.
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