Head of the UGCC hands over 12 resuscitation vehicles from Austria to the Ministry of Health and military hospitals
On Saturday, March 4, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, handed over 12 ambulances donated from benefactors from Austria for the needs of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and military hospitals.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and Ordinary for the Eastern Catholic Churches in Austria, and the UGCC communities in Austria purchased these ambulances from Green Cross at the end of January. They were then handed over to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, who received them on February 18 in Kyiv and performed the Rite of Consecration.
Now, these ambulances sufficed with resuscitation equipment, will be sent to the places where the need is greatest — to military hospitals and various healthcare facilities. The number of ambulances donated is 12, including 3 to the Central Military Hospital in Kyiv, one to Kherson, and a rehabilitation center based on a psychiatric hospital in Kropyvnytskyi. Another ambulance will be transferred to the Hort Charitable Foundation. The Ministry of Health will send the remaining six ambulances to district hospitals in the Kirovograd region, where there are many internally displaced persons.
Handing over the ambulances to the Ministry of Health representatives, a military hospital, and volunteers, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that treatment of war trauma is one of the components of Ukraine’s victory.
“The victory we are aspiring for is a diverse and multi-vector reality. ‘Victory’ is a word with many meanings. To achieve this goal, we need much more than powerful modern weapons. Because to win also means to be able to cope with the trauma that this war induces. Healing the trauma of war is a necessary component of our victory. The word ‘trauma’ is also multifaceted and scary. War trauma affects a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual spheres. Moving forward to victory means strengthening our nation, all of us, and overcoming the trauma of this war,” the Head of the UGCC assumes.
According to him, the transfer of resuscitation vehicles from donors from Austria is the fruit of broad international cooperation. “The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is a Church not only in Ukraine. Therefore, since we have a global network of our presence and the world does trust our Ukrainian Church, we can serve the Ukrainian people in various ways,” said the Primate.
The Head of the UGCC emphasized that the Catholic Church in Austria and Ukrainian communities in this country handed over this gift to the UGCC because “they trust us.”
“We want these ambulances to go where there is the greatest need today, where our people are hurting the most, where trauma requires a quick response. An ambulance is not a car for luxury or comfort; it is a means of saving human life. Please accept this gift! Let it be a sign of our mutual work for the victory of Ukraine,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav addressed the representatives of the medical sector of Ukraine.
In conclusion, His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that healing war wounds is a focus for the UGCC’s pastoral care for the next decade.
“We want to join our efforts to work with government institutions, military centers, and public and volunteer organizations. The church has always been the community that unites everyone in Ukraine and beyond its borders. The common cause of healing war wounds will be our mission for many years to come,” said the Primate.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav added that the Church would continue to “bridge” those who want to serve and those who need to be served.
The UGCC Department for Information
