After meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis over the weekend, the President of Caritas Ukraine, Tetiana Stawnychy, together with the Secretary General of Caritas-Spes Ukraine, Fr. Vyacheslav Grynevych SAC, emphasised the important work of Caritas in creating communities of loving care and safety for all those who turn to Caritas within Ukraine, as well as in neighbouring countries, as a result of the ongoing war within the European region.
Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis Aloysius John addressed and updated journalists and the general public in a press conference held this morning at Vatican News Marconi Hall and moderated by Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editorial director of Vatican Media. Aloysius John said “the Caritas network has been on the frontline since the beginning of the conflict, bringing lifesaving assistance to those who are in Ukraine and for those fleeing their homeland”. He said more than 13 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes behind since the outbreak of the war earlier this year on February 24.
Combined, Caritas Ukraine and Caritas Spes- Ukraine, have provided assistance for nearly 1.5 million people who have been displaced following the escalation of the violence and unrest within the country. “Behind every figure is a human face. This is the beauty of Caritas. Its ability and its desire to see a human face and each person. Ant its what’s making the difference in our ministry in Ukraine,” said Tetiana Stawnychy.
Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Aloysius John gives his speech during the press conference held this morning (16.05.2022) at Vatican News Marconi Hall.
Fr. Vyacheslav Grynevych expressed his deep gratitude for the overwhelming support for the vulnerable victims of this war that Caritas is trying to reach and support. He said the devastating impacts of this crisis will be felt even more acutely in the future for these people. The separation of families, the disruption on education and work, as well as the impact on the mental and physical health of refugees will have lasting consequences. He said, “It’s difficult to imagine the end of the war… the picture of war will remain with us our whole life but I know that there is medicine – the medicine of the Church – the medicine of love, of hope, and it is our vocation as a Caritas family to share this with people close to us”.
Echoing Pope Francis’ call for peace, Aloysius John reiterated that Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 national Caritas organisations, “denounces this blind violence against innocent civilians” resulting in thousands of vulnerable men, women, children and the elderly turning to Caritas centres in the neighboring countries, including, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Silvia Sinibaldi, International Cooperation and Humanitarian Director of Caritas Europa, said there has been huge waves of solidarity and support from individuals, governments and other organisations because “Caritas is rooted in the communities that we serve. Caritas is everywhere. So it is impossible to think that Caritas was not there [at the beginning of the war]”.
She said Caritas organisations within Europe have provided a range of services including: shelter, food supply and security, non-food items, medicines, hygiene kits, psycho-social support, as well as training to support Caritas staff and volunteers assisting refugees. In Poland, which has received the largest number of refugees from Ukraine, over 1.5 million meals heave been delivered to more than 500,000 people through Caritas’ diocesan network. Caritas Romania have started programmes to meet the mid to long-term needs of refugees including language classes and schooling and, in Slovakia, 76 operational centres have been established.