Cardinal Krajewski in Ukraine: people are hungry, there is poverty in this war zone

The four ambulances donated by Pope Francis to Ukraine, three to Zaporiyia and the remaining to Járkov, in order to attend people injured by the conflict, are already in the country.

One of them was personally driven by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Pontifical Limosnero, from Rome. The other three, by Ukrainian consecrated ones that have guided them to the areas where there are active fighting and are considered dangerous: among them, among them

The auxiliary bishop of the Latin diocese of Járkov-Zaporizhzhya, Mons. Jan Sobilo, Fr. Tomasz Nadbereżny, a priest who before the war served in Melitopol, and the director of Cáritas-Spes of the diocese of Járkov-Zaporiyia, Fr. Wojciech Stasiewicz.

On other occasions, the Pontiff has blessed the ambulances before the trip, but this time the press office has not specified it.

“Thank God we arrived after 3,300 kilometers of travel. We did not have greater difficulties, except for those due to snow; we had to go slower because the road was frozen,” he explained in statements to Vatican News.

The first stop of this trip to the bowels of the war in Ukraine has been the city of Zaporiyia, the south of the country, which at the end of January was the target of one of the worst attacks of the Russian army against the civilian population registered in recent months.

Two bombings in the city left more than 20 dead. In the region of the same name is also the nuclear power plant taken by the Russian troops during the first weeks after the invasion of 2022. Both parties are periodically accused of endangering the security of this nuclear installation, the largest in Europe.

As reported by the portal of Vatican news, Cardinal Krajewski dedicated himself to distributing food and other essential goods, bought thanks to the donations received by the apostolic alms.

Many Ukrainians, who have lost everything because of the bombs, begin to line up at five in the morning in the square in front of the concatedral of God the merciful Father.

They arrive mostly women with plastic bags that fill with bread, cans of tuna meat or paste packages and rice. Next to the pontifical alms are also the brothers of the third order of San Francisco Servis of the poor (Franciscans Albertinos) elaborate bread to donate it to the population.

“They distribute some food three or four times a week but this means that people are hungry, there is poverty in this area of ​​war,” said Cardinal Krajewski.

The workshop that the friars manage is quite old and does not work as before. So the purple has promised them that with donations the Pope Francis receives for charity works, through the collection of the obol, they can buy a new one.

“I went to the bakery where they work. They have an oven of about 15 years and, therefore, they should change it. I promised that the Pope would take care of this and that they could continue to bake safely,” he explained.

After the delivery of the media, the Cardinal expressed his intention to be close to those who suffer, visiting some structures, donating what is necessary, thus carrying Pope Francis to the “tormented Ukraine.”