As Ukraine endures its fourth brutal winter of war, Pope Leo XIV has stepped in to answer a desperate plea from local bishops, sending a truckload of critical medical supplies and electric heaters to those most in need.
By Benedetta Capelli
The war has left a trail of devastation: families torn apart, civilians fleeing for their lives, women and children separated from husbands sent to the front, and homes reduced to rubble. Yet, even in the darkest moments, acts of kindness and resilience shine through.
In response to a heartfelt appeal describing the situation in Ukraine as a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Pope Leo XIV has dispatched a shipment of essential medicines.
According to a statement from the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the Pope sent a truckload valued at over €1 million, which was made possible primarily by the Banco Farmaceutico ETS Foundation.
The aid is loaded onto trucks in the Vatican
Medicine and more
In war, needs extend far beyond medicine. Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia issued a dramatic appeal on behalf of over 800 families, an entire neighborhood, left without heat after military strikes crippled energy infrastructure. Repairs are impossible in the short term, so the bishop turned to Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Pope’s almoner, concrete help in securing heating equipment.
This morning, February 24, hundreds of oil-filled electric heaters purchased in Italy arrived in Zaporizhzhia. More than 1,000 of them will provide warmth for families in dire straits, some forced to seek refuge in heated shelters and makeshift housing.
“Despite all logistical and operational challenges,” the Papal Almoner said, “the supplies will be distributed quickly across the bombed territories.”
The gift of peace
This aid is Pope’s concrete response to the appeal he made on Sunday, February 22, during the Angelus prayer.
The Pope recalled the anniversary of the outbreak of war, the victims, the “broken families,” and the “indescribable suffering”, and reiterated the urgent need for peace, which “cannot be delayed”.
Pope Leo brought his remarks to a conclusion by asking his listeners for prayers, in order “that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.”
