By Salvatore Cernuzio
Activity for Pope Leo may slow down during the summer—but not his charitable outreach.
The rest period of Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo does not apply to the solidarity initiatives being carried out for populations whose lives and dreams, as he said last Sunday during Mass at the parish of St Thomas of Villanova, “are being destroyed by war.”
Through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner, the Pope sent food parcels to inhabitants of certain areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine, recently devastated by heavy missile and drone attacks.
Trucks depart from the Basilica of Saint Sophia in Rome
“The Holy Father asked us to do it as quickly as possible,” Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, told Vatican News, regarding the conversation he had with the Pope about the aid delivery.
“Charity never takes a vacation!” emphasized the Cardinal.
In recent days, 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.
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.
Delivered directly to families’ homes
Everything was delivered directly to the families who survived the raids, without any mediation or distribution by other aid agencies.
On the white boxes, the inscription in Ukrainian and Italian reads: “Gift of Pope Leo XIV for the people of Kharkiv.”
The photographs bear witness to the emotion of these 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.” – Vatican News
