The show of solidarity continues and Pope Francis is in the “frontline” of efforts to help the people most affected by the war. A new shipment of aid from Pope Francis, prepared by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity in collaboration with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Community in Rome, arrived in Kharkiv in the last few days. A huge truck loaded with food and medicines, especially against the flu, arrived at St Nicholas’ Church in Kharkiv,” Sister Olexia Pohranychna, a nun belonging to the Congregation of the Greek-Catholic Sisters of St Joseph, told SIR. “The boxes of supplies have been unloaded. They will be distributed to the local population including residents of distant villages.” She promptly added: “I want to thank Pope Francis from the bottom of my heart on behalf of the people who will receive this aid.”
The people of Kharkiv are struggling every day not only with the war, but also with the poverty it has created. People have lost their jobs and livelihoods. The men are on the frontlines, leaving the women, who remained at home, to look after everything. The most affected are the elderly, many of whom are alone and in poor health, having to fight ‘their’ battle every day, with a shortage of medical care and medicines. “What’s more, the prices of food and medicine have skyrocketed during the war,” adds the nun. “People find it hard to pay for them. In an effort to respond to this problem, since the outbreak of the large-scale Russian aggression we have been holding an aid distribution every Thursday in the Church of St Nicholas in Kharkiv. People queue up from the early hours of the morning.
While the inhabitants of large urban centres are struggling with rising prices, the situation is even worse in the villages, which have no supermarkets or pharmacies, only small shops where basic necessities are in short supply. It is often vital for these people to receive aid, and to receive it at zero cost.”
The nun points out that this is not the first time they have received aid from Pope Francis, here on the easternmost border of Ukraine. Card. Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, had chosen the city of Kharkiv to celebrate Christmas last December. He was accompanied by the nuncio in Kyiv. Concluding the liturgy, Card. Krajewski said: “I bring you the greetings and embraces of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, from the distant – and yet very close – Vatican. It was the strong wish of the Holy Father that I should celebrate Christmas with you here in Kharkiv. The Pope is there with you, praying every day for the beloved and suffering Ukraine. Not only does he pray, he also sends aid.”
Pope Francis’ “humanitarian truckload” was received with immense gratitude. “It shows the Pope’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who have been suffering for three years because of a war that is destroying everything,” said Sister Olexia. This aid is a sign that even if he is not here in person, the Pope is still with us, especially with his prayers, with his constant appeals, but also and above all with this humanitarian aid.”
“He is with us even in the places that are targeted every day by missiles, remote-controlled bombs and drones. We are very grateful to him.”
The online meeting of young people with Pope Francis that took place last week is still “making the news.” “For the first time in history, Pope Francis participated in a video conference with the young people of Ukraine,” said Sister Olexia enthusiastically. “It was a unique event, a bridge that connected young people from cities and towns all over Ukraine for more than an hour and a half. Young people from Kharkiv also took part. This was an opportunity for young Ukrainians to see and experience for themselves the extent of the Pope’s closeness to the Ukrainian people: a great source of consolation for our people”.
Unfortunately, the news coming from Kharkiv is never good. “The city is under attack by Shahed drones,” says the nun, who has – alas – also learned the technical “names” of the weapons used in the conflict. “When they hit the ground, these drones explode, destroying everything nearby. The Russians are advancing. They are trying to break through the front line, which causes the local population to flee, but in these villages they have their homes. They stay until the last moment, as long as they can, even if they are hit by drones. And besides, they wouldn’t even know where to go. But when they eventually have to flee, they take only what is absolutely necessary.
“They arrive with very few belongings. They need everything. The war has caused damage, sorrow and loss.”.
