Pope Leo XIV is backing up his humanitarian efforts with action by sending food items through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity to families in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
The Pope sent food parcels to inhabitants of certain areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine, recently devastated by heavy missile and drone attacks, through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Papal Almoner, stated that the Pope directed the office to make the delivery as quickly as possible. “Charity never takes a vacation.”
He disclosed that trucks filled with canned food, along with oil, pasta, meat, fish, and tuna, departed from the Basilica of Saint Sophia in Rome, which since 2022 has become a hub of solidarity from the entire city toward the suffering Eastern European nation.
Included in the shipments were also basic necessity items, with their destination being the village of Staryi Saltiv and the city of Shevchenkove, both in the region of Kharkiv.
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The food was provided by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, an organization that promotes spiritual, cultural, and charitable initiatives in accordance with Christian principles in Italy and around the world.
The Order also supplied several pallets needed to carry out this latest mission. This initiative follows a similar one in June, when cargo shipments of mattresses, food, and children’s toys were sent to Ukraine from the same Basilica.
Matteo Bruni, director, Holy See Press Office, stated that the food items were delivered directly to the families who survived the raids, without any mediation or distribution by other aid agencies.
“Gift of Pope Leo XIV for the people of Kharkiv,” inscription written on the white boxes in both Ukrainian and Italian
According to the Press Office, the photographs bear witness to the emotion of the people upon seeing that Pope Leo XIV, just like his predecessor Pope Francis, has not forgotten their suffering.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, also told journalists today that “Pope Leo was informed of the victims and damage caused by Typhoon Danas in Taiwan, that he is praying for those affected, and has asked the Office of Papal Almonry to provide concrete help to the population.”
