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🇺🇸 United States /Culture & Society

Vatican sent children born out of wedlock to America as orphans for adoption

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • The Vatican sent 3,500 Italian children to America on "orphan visas" between 1950 and 1970.
  • Most of these children were not orphans but were born to unwed mothers who were pressured to give them up.
  • Many mothers later searched for their children, only to find they had been sent overseas, leading to ongoing struggles for adoptees to find their families.

Between 1950 and 1970, the Vatican facilitated the transfer of 3,500 Italian children to the United States under an "orphan visa" program. Contrary to the program's designation, the majority of these children were not orphans. They were, in fact, born to unwed mothers who faced immense pressure from their families and the Catholic Church to surrender their newborns for adoption.

My mom said you know, 28 years have gone by. I've never been able to bake a cake for you for your birthday. She says "I don't care what month it is, I'm gonna bake you a cake. We need to celebrate cause our prodigal son has finally come home.

— John CampitelliDescribing his reunion with his birth mother after a long search.

This practice mirrored similar actions in Belgium, where thousands of newborns were separated from their unwed mothers. In both cases, mothers were often shamed into relinquishing their children, and their consent for adoption or international transfer was frequently disregarded. Pope Francis issued an apology in 2024 for the forced adoptions that occurred in Belgium.

It says here, "they abandoned since birth and their whereabouts are unknown." They knew damn well where my mom was. I mean she showed her documents when she handed me over. So, this is an outright lie.

— John CampitelliReacting to church documents that falsely claimed his mother's abandonment.

Many Italian mothers later attempted to locate their children, only to discover they had been sent across the Atlantic. This separation has caused profound and lasting difficulties for thousands of American adoptees who are still trying to piece together their identities and reconnect with their birth families. The church documents often falsely stated that the children were abandoned and their whereabouts unknown, despite mothers providing their information.

She said "I never signed a paper anywhere saying that I was willing to give you up."

— John CampitelliQuoting his mother's assertion that she never consented to his adoption.

John Campitelli, born Piero Davi in 1963, is one such adoptee. He was reunited with his birth mother, Francesca, after a search spanning over a decade. Francesca had been forced by her family to give him up, believing the placement in a Catholic institution was temporary and that she would be able to reclaim him later. She maintained she never consented to his adoption or his departure from Italy.

She thought placing you in –in the institution was, was temporary?

— Bill WhitakerQuestioning John Campitelli about his mother's understanding of the placement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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