The aid \u2014 worth more than $1.17 million \u2014 responds to a request from Ukrainian bishops after recent Russian bombardments.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV has sent a humanitarian shipment to Ukraine containing urgently needed medicines and more than 1,000 electric radiators to assist people affected by the war.<\/p>\n
According to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the shipment responds to a \u201cdesperate request\u201d made by several bishops amid the grave situation caused by the latest Russian airstrikes, especially in the Zaporizhzhia region.<\/p>\n
Through the apostolic almonry, the Holy Father arranged for a truckload of essential pharmaceuticals to address what the office led by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski described as a \u201cdisastrous humanitarian emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dicastery said the commercial value of the shipment exceeds 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and was made possible in large part thanks to the collaboration of the Fondazione Banco Farmaceutico ETS.<\/p>\n
A population worn down by attacks<\/p>\n
The war, which has shaken Ukraine for four years, continues to leave behind destruction, forced displacement, and families torn apart. In that context, Ukrainian bishops conveyed to the pope the cry of a population exhausted by ongoing attacks and the deterioration of basic infrastructure.<\/p>\n
One of the most urgent appeals came from the bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk, who warned that more than 800 families \u2014 an entire neighborhood \u2014 have been left without heat after strikes on energy infrastructure. The damage cannot be repaired in the short term, according to Vatican News.<\/p>\n
With freezing temperatures approaching and resources scarce, Honcharuk asked for direct assistance from the papal almoner, Krajewski.<\/p>\n
In response, on Feb. 24 medicines and oil-filled electric radiators purchased in Italy arrived in Zaporizhzhia. The more than 1,000 devices are expected to provide a basic source of heat for affected families, many of whom have been forced into makeshift accommodations or communal spaces warmed by generators.<\/p>\n
The Apostolic Almonry said that despite the logistical and operational difficulties caused by the conflict, the material will be distributed shortly in areas hardest hit by bombardments.<\/p>\n
Pope renews appeal for ceasefire<\/p>\n
The initiative reflects the ongoing closeness the Holy See and the local Church have shown to the Ukrainian people since the beginning of the invasion.<\/p>\n
Last Sunday during the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged that a ceasefire in Ukraine be agreed upon \u201cwithout delay\u201d as the fourth anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion was marked. He insisted that peace \u201ccannot be postponed\u201d and must be expressed in responsible decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my heart there remains the dramatic situation that is before everyone\u2019s eyes. How many victims, how many lives and families shattered, how much destruction, how many indescribable sufferings!\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV added that \u201cevery war is truly a wound inflicted on the whole human family,\u201d leaving behind \u201cdeath, devastation, and a trail of pain that marks generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He renewed his appeal: \u201cMay weapons fall silent, may the bombings end, may a ceasefire be reached without delay, and may dialogue be strengthened to open the way to peace!\u201d<\/p>\n
He also invited the faithful to unite in prayer \u201cfor the martyred Ukrainian people and for all those who suffer because of this war and of every other conflict in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n