(Vatican Radio) Official figures show that a record 55,000 migrants, many of them fleeing poverty and wars, have left Germany voluntarily this year - more than twice the number deported. It comes mounting tensions in Europe over the influx of refugees. Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: Data over the period January through November from the Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees shows that tens of thousands of migrants have left the country voluntarily. Most of them went back to the Balkans. Albanians formed the largest group of some 15,000 people followed by about an equal number of people returning to nearby Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia.Germany saw large numbers of people from Balkan nations, who had slim chances of being granted asylum, arrive in early 2015.Yet there are also at least 5,000 migrants who have returned to Iraq and more than 3,000 to Afghanistan, despite reports of ongoing attacks by Islamic militants in those nations, including against...
(Vatican Radio) Official figures show that a record 55,000 migrants, many of them fleeing poverty and wars, have left Germany voluntarily this year - more than twice the number deported. It comes mounting tensions in Europe over the influx of refugees.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
Data over the period January through November from the Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees shows that tens of thousands of migrants have left the country voluntarily.
Most of them went back to the Balkans. Albanians formed the largest group of some 15,000 people followed by about an equal number of people returning to nearby Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia.
Germany saw large numbers of people from Balkan nations, who had slim chances of being granted asylum, arrive in early 2015.
Yet there are also at least 5,000 migrants who have returned to Iraq and more than 3,000 to Afghanistan, despite reports of ongoing attacks by Islamic militants in those nations, including against Christians and moderate Muslims.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
German authorities revealed Wednesday that the government approved funding for some 55,000 migrants to return to their homelands this year, paving the way for a significant increase in voluntary departures.
That is more than twice the nearly 24,000 who were forcibly deported from Germany.
It comes amid mounting public resentment towards migrants fleeing war and poverty following several attacks linked to Islamic militants, including the recent Christmas Market attack in Berlin that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has come under political pressure over her open-doors policy towards refugees as the country registered last year about 900,000 asylum seekers.
While she agree with stricter policies towards migrants, Merkel has made clear she wants Germany to remain a country that provides shelter to the most vulnerable people fleeing war-stricken nations such as Syria.
"When you love the people with whom you disagree, and then you talk about the disagreements, then you're able to persuade people, potentially," Brooks points out. "Its your only shot at persuading people, is with love." / Credit: EWTN NewsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 11, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).Best-selling author, Harvard professor and renowned social scientist Arthur Brooks says the missionary character and approach of Pope Leo XIV is one which all Catholics should emulate.In an interview with "EWTN News in Depth," Brooks called attention to the new pope's track record of threading the needle of "speaking the truth in a spirit of love, and that's a lot more of what we all need to emulate as Catholic people."This approach, Brooks said, is a winning one that gives him a lot of hope and optimism for Leo's pontificate and the future of the Church, which he says is on the cusp of a revival.Speaking with anchor Catherine Hadro, Brooks said all Catholics are called to missionary wor...
null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|Shutterstock.Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 11, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).A recent poll has revealed that the majority of American adults' beliefs align with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings supporting parental authority, allowing states to ban transgender treatment for minors, and permitting authorities to require age verification on websites with sexually explicit content.On June 18, the Supreme Court ruled that Tennessee was permitted to ban medical treatments for minors including hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries. On June 27, meanwhile, the high court ruled that public schools in Maryland must allow parents the option to withdraw their children from discussions of LGBT topics if they have religious objections. It also ruled that a Texas law that requires pornography websites to verify that users are at least 18 years old does not violate the Constitution and can remain in effect.The poll, which was conducted before the rulin...
Pope Leo XIV (pictured at St. Peter's on June 1, 2025) issued a message of hope on July 10 in anticipation of the upcoming World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNARome Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).For the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly established by Pope Francis and celebrated this year on July 27, Pope Leo XIV has issued a message of hope to the elderly.At the beginning of his message, the Holy Father evoked the Jubilee Year to remind the faithful that "hope is a constant source of joy, whatever our age." He cited some elderly biblical figures, such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and Zechariah, whom the Lord surprised in "an act of saving power": "God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years," he explained.The pontiff noted that by making these choices, "God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, t...
