Head of the UGCC discusses humanitarian situation in Ukraine with Catholic Relief Services president
On August 8, His Beatitude Svyatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, visited the headquarters of the Catholic Relief Services which supports various charitable projects around the world. His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with the president of the organization, Mr. Sean Callahan, and with the chairman of the Board of Governors, Bishop Gregory John Mansour, the Department of Information of the UGCC reports.
The parties discussed the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine, in particular the situation of the internally displaced persons. The Head of the UGCC thanked Mr. Callahan for his active cooperation with the charitable organization of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Caritas Ukraine and for the aid to victims of the war in Ukraine. His Beatitude Sviatoslav also asked not to forget about Ukraine and its citizens affected by the war, even when the Ukrainian issue disappears from the forefront of the world media and the speeches of politicians.
The Head of the UGCC was accompanied by Bishop David (Motyuk) and Fr. Volodymyr Malchyn, Vice Chancellor of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC. Chair of the Subcommittee on Assistance to Churches in Eastern Europe of the American Episcopal Conference, Mr. Tetyana Stavycha, was also present at the meeting.
Caritas Ukraine co-operates with the Catholic Relief Services from 2014. The main focus is on providing assistance to the internally displaced persons from the east and south of Ukraine, preparation for the winter period, creation and assistance in the functioning of the network of children's centers, provision of food sets, opportunities for recreation in summer camps for children from families which were forced to leave their homes by the war in Ukraine.
A program to strengthen integration, to restore the capacity and self-help capabilities of the victims of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, to help in finding employment and restoring livelihoods is also in place. Another important area of cooperation is the support of the CRS program for the development of social service at the parish level.
For the period from 2014 to the present, the amount of assistance provided by the CRS is about $18 million.
