• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Kristi and Geoff Okwuonu, a Texas-based couple, adopted Grace and Kaleb, two children in Nigeria, through Catholic Charities of Baltimore. The family has spent nearly the last two years in Africa, because the children were denied visas by the U.S. (Courtesy Kristi Okwuonu)

Catholic Charities of Baltimore ends international adoption program

October 20, 2020
By George P. Matysek Jr.
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Catholic Charities, Feature, Local News, News

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn
Kristi and Geoff Okwuonu adopted their children, Grace and Kaleb, through Catholic Charities of Baltimore. (Courtesy Kristi Okwuonu)

After more than 75 years helping form families through international adoption, Catholic Charities of Baltimore closed its international adoption program Sept. 30, citing changing circumstances within other countries and a “negative stance” toward international adoption from the American federal government.

Ellen Warnock, who has worked in the international adoption program for 36 years, called the decision “heartbreaking” but necessary due to a dramatic decline in the number of children annually entering the United States for adoption.

In the early 2000s, more than 23,000 children came into the country each year for adoption. In 2019, that number declined to just 2,900.

“Some of the countries are either unwilling to send children overseas because it’s a national pride issue or because the infrastructure that they have is such that it cannot meet the documentation standards of our government’s immigration process,” said Warnock, associate administrator at Catholic Charities’ Center for Family Services.

Many of the countries Catholic Charities dealt with, especially in Africa, have poorly designed and under-resourced child welfare systems, Warnock explained. They are struggling just to get food, shelter, clothing and medicine to their orphanages and do not have resources to provide the increased level of documentation sought by the American government.

“Our government has cracked down on the scrutiny with which it looks at the documents from those countries,” Warnock said, noting that her agency does not have the financial resources to provide independent investigation of documents. “We can’t put people on the ground in Nigeria or Cameroon or any of those countries. We have to rely on what the government, courts and ministries in those countries send us.”

Warnock added that staff members at the embassies are saying that when reports aren’t written in a timely fashion, “they can’t guarantee the authenticity or the veracity of the documents.”

As a result of the increased bureaucratic demands, many of the clients Catholic Charities and other adoption agencies brought into their system have found themselves stymied when they reach the embassy stage of the adoption process. There are currently dozens of children in Africa matched with families in the United States through Catholic Charities who cannot enter the country.

“There are a lot of kids in Nigeria and Cameroon and other places that will never get here, even though they’re legally their adoptive parents’ children,” Warnock said.

Kristi and Geoff Okwuonu, a Texas couple who adopted two children in Nigeria through Catholic Charities of Baltimore, are among those directly affected by the changes. The Okwuonus have been with their children, Grace and Kaleb, since Thanksgiving 2018 in Africa. Their children’s visas were denied in August 2019 because they didn’t meet the definition of orphans under U.S. law, Kristi Okwuonu said.

Unless their legal appeals have positive results in the United States, the couple is now planning to move to Canada or Japan with their children, who will turn 3 in December.

Geoff and Kristi Okwuonu, shown with their children, Kaleb and Grace, are living in Nigeria while fighting a legal battle to bring their children adopted through Catholic Charities of Baltimore to the United States. (Courtesy Kristi Okwuonu)

“I told investigators this is so simple: you let us go back to the United States and go home with our children or we go live in another country,” Kristi Okwuonu said.

Okwuonu expressed frustration that Catholic Charities is no longer able to carry on its international adoption work. She and her husband selected the agency on the advice of their lawyer, based on its history and reputation. She said her family and Catholic Charities have “done everything by the book.”

“It’s terrible and it’s sad,” said Okwuonu, speaking via videoconference from Africa. “What did Catholic Charities do wrong? I don’t think there’s anything. It leaves so many people hanging. It’s a real shame.”

Many adoption service providers have lost their accreditation, have been suspended or have given up their accreditation for international adoption over the last two years, according to the U.S. State Department website.

Warnock believes U.S. embassies are raising concerns about human trafficking via adoption where there is no strong evidence of that.

“There have been rare instances of that,” she said, “but it is not a global phenomenon in the adoption field. I think that is the suspicion that the embassies bring to the table.”

In recent years, Catholic Charities’ international adoption work has been mostly in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Zambia and The Gambia. It also worked in the Philippines and Colombia to a lesser extent.

Over the last 75 years, Catholic Charities of Baltimore has placed approximately 8,000 children in American homes through adoption, with about 3,500 of them coming through international adoption. The agency ended its domestic adoption program six years ago because of significant declines in the number of domestic adoptions.

The agency has let go of four staff members within the last four months. It will maintain its Maryland license, however, and will be available to provide home studies for those seeking to become parents through adoption. It will also continue to offer post-placement services in certain situations, Warnock said.

Rita Buettner, a Catholic Review columnist who relied on Catholic Charities to help with the adoption of her two children from China, said she is glad some post-adoption services will continue. She and her husband, John, received help from Catholic Charities for post-adoption reports to China and parenting resources.

“International adoption has changed so much in recent years and fewer families are being formed that way,” Buettner said, “so I wasn’t shocked that the program closed. But I was very sad.”

Buettner said her family will always be grateful for the role Catholic Charities played in bringing it together.

“We never really considered another agency,” she said. “I remember they told us they were helping find families for children rather than children for families.”

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

More stories about Catholic Charities

Baltimore Mass to celebrate local charities in time of perilous cuts

William McCarthy lauded with evening of accolades as he prepares to retire as Catholic Charities director

Catholic Charities tasked with Afrikaner travel fees as Trump keeps other refugees in limbo

Catholic Charities USA head awarded Notre Dame’s prestigious Laetare Medal

Supreme Court hears Catholic agency’s case seeking religious exemption to state program

Archbishop Lori names David Kinkopf as new Catholic Charities executive director

As funding freeze hits some Catholic agencies, others operate minus government money

‘Christ calls us to serve our vulnerable neighbors,’ says immigration services director

Bishops defend Catholic Charities work with migrants, refugees as obedience to Jesus

Copyright © 2020 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

George P. Matysek Jr.

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Religious sisters played role in pope’s formation in grade school, N.J. province discovers

  • With an Augustinian in chair of St. Peter, order sees growing interest in vocations

  • Hundreds gather at Rebuilt Conference 2025 to ‘imagine what’s possible’ in parish ministry

  • Indiana Catholic shares story of his life-changing bond with friend who is now Pope Leo

  • Washington Archdiocese announces layoffs, spending cuts, restructuring

| Latest Local News |

OLPH’s fourth eucharistic procession, set for June 21, ‘speaks to the heart’

Franciscan Sister Francis Anita Rizzo, who served in Baltimore for 18 years, dies at 95

Hundreds gather at Rebuilt Conference 2025 to ‘imagine what’s possible’ in parish ministry

Radio Interview: Dominican sister at Mount de Sales shares faith journey from astrophysics to religious life

Mount de Sales Dominican sister shares journey after pursuing science, finding faith 

| Latest World News |

Prayers continue for release of abducted Nigerian priest who recently served in Alaska

Kyiv’s historic cathedral damaged in Russian air strikes

Vatican bank reports increased profits, charitable giving

UN secretary-general meets Pope Leo, top Vatican officials

Call out to Jesus for healing; he will hear you, pope says

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Prayers continue for release of abducted Nigerian priest who recently served in Alaska
  • Kyiv’s historic cathedral damaged in Russian air strikes
  • Vatican bank reports increased profits, charitable giving
  • UN secretary-general meets Pope Leo, top Vatican officials
  • Call out to Jesus for healing; he will hear you, pope says
  • Movie Review: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
  • Yes, it’s our war, too
  • OLPH’s fourth eucharistic procession, set for June 21, ‘speaks to the heart’
  • Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en