Pope sends humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Pope Leo XIV has sent a humanitarian shipment to Ukraine containing urgently needed medicines and more than 1,000 electric radiators to assist people affected by the war.

According to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the shipment responds to a “desperate request” made by several bishops amid the grave situation caused by the latest Russian airstrikes, especially in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Through the apostolic almonry, the Holy Father arranged for a truckload of essential pharmaceuticals to address what the office led by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski described as a “disastrous humanitarian emergency.”

The dicastery said the commercial value of the shipment exceeds 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and was made possible in large part thanks to the collaboration of the Fondazione Banco Farmaceutico ETS.

A population worn down by attacks

The war, which has shaken Ukraine for four years, continues to leave behind destruction, forced displacement, and families torn apart. In that context, Ukrainian bishops conveyed to the pope the cry of a population exhausted by ongoing attacks and the deterioration of basic infrastructure.

One of the most urgent appeals came from the bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk, who warned that more than 800 families — an entire neighborhood — have been left without heat after strikes on energy infrastructure. The damage cannot be repaired in the short term, according to Vatican News.

With freezing temperatures approaching and resources scarce, Honcharuk asked for direct assistance from the papal almoner, Krajewski.

In response, on Feb. 24 medicines and oil-filled electric radiators purchased in Italy arrived in Zaporizhzhia. The more than 1,000 devices are expected to provide a basic source of heat for affected families, many of whom have been forced into makeshift accommodations or communal spaces warmed by generators.

The Apostolic Almonry said that despite the logistical and operational difficulties caused by the conflict, the material will be distributed shortly in areas hardest hit by bombardments.

Pope renews appeal for ceasefire

The initiative reflects the ongoing closeness the Holy See and the local Church have shown to the Ukrainian people since the beginning of the invasion.

Last Sunday during the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged that a ceasefire in Ukraine be agreed upon “without delay” as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion was marked. He insisted that peace “cannot be postponed” and must be expressed in responsible decisions.

“In my heart there remains the dramatic situation that is before everyone’s eyes. How many victims, how many lives and families shattered, how much destruction, how many indescribable sufferings!” the pope said.

Leo XIV added that “every war is truly a wound inflicted on the whole human family,” leaving behind “death, devastation, and a trail of pain that marks generations.”

He renewed his appeal: “May weapons fall silent, may the bombings end, may a ceasefire be reached without delay, and may dialogue be strengthened to open the way to peace!”

He also invited the faithful to unite in prayer “for the martyred Ukrainian people and for all those who suffer because of this war and of every other conflict in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.