Pope Francis calls for peace in Ukraine, announces special collection on April 24
Pope Francis, during the Regina Caeli prayer on Sunday, has called for peace in Ukraine. In light of his appeal, the papal charitable office, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will be organizing a special collection and distribution of funds for the country.
He said, as quoted by Radio Vaticana, "I am thinking of the ordeal of those who suffer the consequences of the violence in Ukraine: of those who continue to live in lands that are turned upside-down by hostilities that have caused thousands of deaths, and of those – over a million – who have been forced to leave due to the grave situation that persists."
According to the World Food Programme, a humanitarian agency of the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide, the two-year conflict between the pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government has left 1.5 million hungry, 300,000 of which are in desperate need of food. During the first half of 2016, the organization aims to provide monthly food assistance to approximately 270,000 people, primarily the most vulnerable and in most need.
Radio Vaticana adds that 1.3 million are lacking in drinking water. Moreover, around a million people are in need medical assistance. Medicines are hard to come by, and surgeries are reportedly conducted without anesthesia.
The Pope, during his speech at St. Peter's Square , expressed that he is thinking of those who are suffering due to the violence, specifically the children and the elderly. With this, he called for a special collection in churches to aid Ukraine. This will take place on Sunday, April 24, in churches all across Europe.
"This gesture of charity, beyond alleviating material suffering, expresses my personal closeness and the solidarity of the entire Church," he said.
Radio Vaticana explains that the funds collected will be distributed by the leaders of religious communities in Ukraine.
