As the war persists after three and a half years, the summer 2025 edition of the “Together is More Beautiful” hosting project continues. Promoted by Caritas Italiana—with the support and endorsement of the Italian Episcopal Conference—the initiative operates in collaboration with Caritas Ukraine, Caritas Spes (Ukraine’s two national Caritas organizations), the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See, the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine, numerous Italian dioceses, ACLI (Christian Associations of Italian Workers), and an expanding network of church and community groups nationwide.
Launched in 2022 as a concrete response to the war’s tragedy, the project has facilitated the arrival of hundreds of Ukrainian minors in Italy over the years. It provides them with weeks of relief, tranquility, and fraternal encounters in safe environments. This summer renews this commitment, involving an additional 230 Ukrainian children and teenagers. They are being hosted through five distinct programs across various Italian regions.
Youth are welcomed in Formazza (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), Sondrio (Lombardy), Comacchio (Ferrara), and Castel Volturno (Caserta). Furthermore, they will be hosted by Italian families in eight regions: Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Molise, Abruzzo, and Campania. The 31 participating families were identified with the support of the National Office for Family Pastoral Care, Families for Hospitality, and the National Forum of Family Associations.
These Ukrainian youth and their chaperones met with Pope Leo XIV on July 3rd. The project forms part of broader efforts Caritas Italiana has undertaken alongside the Ukrainian population, both within and beyond its borders, since the war’s outset. “Summer hosting is one of its most immediate and generative expressions,” Caritas emphasized, “capable of building bridges even amidst history’s wounds.”
© ANSA