For decades, unwed mothers in Italy were pressured to give up children born out of wedlock. Thousands were sent to America. Now some families are reuniting and looking for answers.

During the 1950s, the Catholic Church in Belgium separated thousands of newborns from their unwed mothers and put them up for adoption, often without the mothers’ consent. The women were shamed into surrendering their babies by their families and a powerful church. Last month, Pope Francis apologized for those forced adoptions.

But Belgians weren’t the only victims. From 1950 to 1970, the Vatican sent 3,500 Italian children to America on something called an orphan visa. The trouble was most were not orphans. Like their Belgian counterparts, they too were the children of unwed mothers. Many mothers later went searching for their children, only to discover they had been sent across an ocean. Today, thousands of American adoptees are still struggling to piece together their lost lives.

  • @HootinNHollerinEnglish
    55•2 days ago

    I just can’t grasp how someone could be a catholic in current times

    • @[email protected]English
      11•2 days ago

      For a couple of people I know, the answer would be: “This is obviously terrible, yes, but we need to preserve our traditional values at all costs, otherwise Muslim immigrants will replace us”.

  • @WhereGrapesMayRuleEnglish
    63•2 days ago

    It’s almost like you shouldn’t trust the judgement of people who believe inter-dimensional space wizards are real

    • Admiral PatrickEnglish
      27•2 days ago

      And that’s not even touching on the part where the “inter-dimensional space wizard who will send you to the torment nexus” is just a pretense for controlling and subjugating people.

      • @Noodle07English
        4•2 days ago

        Yeah, I’m fine with anything resembling gods being out there. But trusting other humans who want to control you blindly? WTF is wrong with you

  • @apfelwoiSchoppenEnglish
    27•2 days ago

    Fuck the Catholic Church

    Signed: Recovering socially catholic person who was forced to deal with the very insular and problematic Catholic bullshit for 18 years. Trauma is center to Catholicism. It is the point.

    • Maeve
      3•1 day ago

      You know how us Catholic girls can be We make up for so much time, a little too late I never forgot it, confusing as it was No fun with no guilt feelings The sinners, the saviors, the loverless priests I’ll see you next Sunday

    • @[email protected]English
      8•2 days ago

      The people wanted to do the fucked up shit regardless but need a mental justification to hide behind

    • @foggyEnglish
      1•2 days ago

      For that gods approval, when the scriptures are twisted to fit those who seek power’s narrative.

  • Flying SquidMEnglish
    5•2 days ago

    Ah, America. The cause of and answer to the world’s problems.

    • @[email protected]English
      15•2 days ago

      I feel like this should be taken as an insult by America. I mean those little kids were innocent, but the church thought of them is “impure” and they sent their “impurities” to America. Holy shit, it’s fucking dark, too.