“I am here to show our support” — President of Caritas Europa, Msgr. Michael Landau
Monsignor Michael Landau, President of Caritas Europa and Caritas Austria, visited the Kyiv region. He visited Irpin, where he took part in the Liturgy in the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. It is there that Caritas Kyiv assists people affected by the war. He also visited the cemetery and the place of mass burial of civilians in Bucha. In addition, Monsignor Landau had the opportunity to visit Moschun and Rakivka, where Caritas Spes executes projects to rebuild housing destroyed during the occupation by Russian troops.
“I see a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, but at the same time, a lot of strength and hope. I am here to show our support and solidarity. I promise that the entire global network of Caritas will be with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” said the president of Caritas Europe.
According to him, we can build the future only together. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be with you. I will save your testimony and share it with the world. I will pray for peace in Ukraine and make every effort to ensure that you continue to receive all the necessary help and support,” Monsignor Landau added.
According to the President of Caritas of Ukraine, Tetiana Stawnychy, reading or hearing about destruction and death and seeing burnt houses and graves are different things. She expressed sincere gratitude for the solidarity and support from the Caritas network, which Ukrainians have felt since the first days of the war.
During the bishop’s meeting, Vasyl Tuchapets of Kharkiv conveyed thanks from the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, for all the help and support that Ukrainians receive from European Caritas so that people who have suffered from the war have something to eat and something to keep warm.
The total joint contribution of European Caritas organizations to help victims of the war amounted to more than 20,000,000 euros, in particular to Caritas Austria — more than 1,200,000 euros. Thanks to the support of the Caritas network in Ukraine, it is feasible to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, shelter, hot meals for displaced people, psychosocial support, and rebuilding destroyed housing.
Over the past year, Caritas of Ukraine provided more than 3,000,000 assistance services. These include food and hygiene kits, housing reconstruction assistance, multi-purpose grants, shelter, and psychosocial and legal support. Today, Caritas of Ukraine works based on more than 40 local organizations in more than 20 regions of Ukraine.
The UGCC Department for Information
by the materials of Caritas Ukraine
