Pope expresses closeness to Ukraine at Christmas

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis is once again demonstrating his closeness to the suffering people of Ukraine, sending the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to the war-torn country in the days before Christmas.

“Every day Pope Francis prays for peace in this war-torn country,” reads a press release announcing the mission, “but in a concrete way he wants to be present among them in these days, when we will celebrate the Birth of Jesus.”

Cardinal Krajewski will bring with him a mobile hospital, a large camper van that can be used for surgeries, as well as six ultrasound scanners that will be donated to hospitals damaged in the war.

The statement from the Dicastery notes that the Papal Almoner will visit various communities throughout Ukraine in order to meet with the people, aiming at opening “the door of hope” in their hearts and praying with them for the greatly longed-for peace.

Previous donations and visits

As head of the pope’s charitable works, Cardinal Krajewski has overseen various papal initiatives in favour of the Ukrainian people, including making numerous visits to the country.

In August, the Dicastery organized a convoy of several trucks carrying food, baby food, personal hygiene products, clothing, medicine, and other necessities to the eastern region of Kharkiv, one of the areas hardest hit by the war.

Earlier, in June, Cardinal Krajewski was himself in Ukraine for a visit to the city of Ternopil, where he visited a cemetery. During his seventh visit to the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022, the Cardinal brought medical supplies gifted by Pope Francis, including an ambulance equipped as a mobile intensive care unit, as well as essential and live-saving medicines from the Vatican Pharmacy and the Pharmacy of Rome’s Gemelli hospital.