As humanitarian aid is finally granted access to the Gaza Strip, Pope Leo XIV instructs the Office of Papal Charities to send medicines for the youngest victims of the two-year conflict. Meanwhile, food aid distributions continue in Ukraine.
By Benedetta Capelli
In the days when the “spark of hope” — evoked by Pope Leo XIV last Sunday during the Angelus — appears to take more concrete form in the Holy Land, the Pope’s closeness becomes a tangible sign of care for the smallest and most vulnerable.
Through the Office of Papal Charities, known as ‘s “Pope Leo’s first aid service,” 5,000 doses of antibiotics have been sent to Gaza for children, who are among those most affected by two years of conflict. This gesture was made possible by the reopening of the crossings through which humanitarian aid is now reaching the people of the Gaza Strip.
From words to action
“We are putting into practice the words of the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, dedicated to the poor,” said Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, adding that “It is necessary to act, to pay attention to those in need.”
The papal text clearly expresses the Church’s mission, highlighting the fact “that its proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when expressed through concrete gestures of closeness and welcome.”
Thanks to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the antibiotics sent have already been distributed to those in need. The Cardinal Almoner recalled that, even during the years of war, efforts were made to help by sending funds for the purchase of food and fuel.
The Pope’s closeness to Ukraine
Papal charity continues unabated, also in the face of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. After numerous missions to deliver humanitarian aid — including power generators and thermal clothing to help people withstand the cold — the Office of Papal Charities has continued to support the Basilica of Saint Sophia in Rome, known as “the church of Ukrainians.”
The basilica remains active in providing humanitarian assistance to the war-struck country. From the basilica in fact, trucks regularly depart carrying essential goods to Ukraine.
In recent days, white packages marked with the Vatican and Ukrainian flags and bearing the inscription — in both Italian and Ukrainian — “Gift of Pope Leo to the people of Kharkiv” have arrived in the city. They contain canned food, oil, pasta, meat, and hygiene products.
Through these gestures, the Pope draws close to the suffering and pain of a people exhausted by years of war, and still awaiting a glimmer of peace to appear on the horizon.
Aid is delivered to Ukraine
