Vatican City, 28 April, 2022 / 8:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis expressed gratitude to The Papal Foundation for its efforts to provide aid to Ukrainians suffering amid the war in a meeting at the Vatican on Thursday.
The foundation’s executive director David Savage told CNA on April 28 that it had recently approved an initial grant of $100,000 to support the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) as it organizes new offices in Lviv, western Ukraine.
“The grant for the UGCC Patriarchal Curia will go towards maintaining Church structures and strengthening institutional capacity so it can better provide large-scale humanitarian assistance and pastoral care in Ukraine during the war,” Savage said following the meeting with the pope.
“This will include military and medical chaplaincies, social service to people in need, organizing online prayers, and supporting the Catholic Crisis Media Center, which provides the international community with the Church’s perspective on the events in Ukraine.”
UGCC leader Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk has shared how Ukrainian priests and bishops remained present in combat zones to help feed and clothe people hiding in bomb shelters. The local Church has also worked to create refugee assistance centers and corridors to help people reach safety.