Weekly Update #56
 March 27

REFUGEE SITUATION

(as of 20 March 2023)

General Figures


Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

8,157,230

Last updated 20 March 2023


Refugees from Ukraine registered for Temporary Protection or similar national protection schemes in Europe 

4,946,920

Last updated 20 March 2023


Border crossings from Ukraine (since 24 February 2022)

19,729,989

Last updated 20 March 2023


Border crossings to Ukraine (since 28 February 2022)

11,188,114

Last updated 20 March 2023

 

Source: https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine 

Refugees from Ukraine across Europe 

(as of 21 March 2023)

THE STATE OF THE CONFLICT

Heavy fighting and hostilities in and around the war-ravaged town of Bakhmut, in Donetska oblast, have further intensified over the past few days, taking a heavy toll on civilians who have already been under constant bombardment since the town became one of the hotspots of the war in mid-February. The humanitarian situation in the area, which was dire before the ongoing escalation, has dramatically deteriorated, leaving the remaining 3,000 civilians in Bakhmut – out of a pre-war population of 72,000 people – in urgent need of assistance and protection, according to local authorities and aid groups. 

Although the Government of Donetska oblast continues to call for evacuations from Bakhmut, only very few people are still fleeing the area daily, compared to as many as 600 when evacuations were at their highest in the last quarter of 2022, according to Ukrainian authorities. At the same time, humanitarian operations became extremely challenging and limited, as hostilities and restrictions of movements impacted access for aid organizations and volunteer groups.

Over the past few weeks, hostilities have significantly escalated in and around Avdiivka, a town on the front line in Donetska oblast under Government control. Due to the increased insecurity, local authorities are calling on the remaining 2,000 civilians to urgently evacuate the area. On 20 March, Ukrainian authorities reported that the town was being hit by 250-300 artillery shells and 20 aerial bombardments each day, leaving civilians dead and injured, damaging homes, hospitals and schools, and disrupting essential services.

People in the town have inadequate access to water, and the supply of gas and electricity has been disrupted due to damage to these systems. The war has also decimated health assistance and disrupted markets; and people are almost entirely reliant on humanitarian assistance to survive.

The national NGO Proliska had been operational in Avdiivka until last summer when their premises were damaged togetherwith other buildings in town. Since then, Proliska has been supporting the people of the hromada from Chasiv Yar andDnipro, mostly relying on local volunteers to do the last-mile delivery. With the support from Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund(UHF), they bring food, water and hygiene supplies, and through UNHCR, they deliver shelter materials and other vitalhousehold items to support the people who remain in Avdiivka itself and surrounding areas.

Due to the constant threat from ongoing hostilities, residents spend most of their time in basements, hiding from the fighting, with almost no access to essential services and limited supplies of food or hygiene items, according to humanitarian organizations and UN agencies. Schools, hospitals and markets are non-functional, and the entire population, which includes around 30 children, are dependent on aid to survive. Nearly 80 per cent of houses in Bakhmut have reportedly been destroyed or severely damaged due to the active hostilities, according to the oblast authorities. 

Although the United Nations has not been able to verify the information, there have been several reports from the Ukrainian authorities that most schools, kindergartens, clinics and hospitals in the city have been either destroyed or damaged. Bakhmut has no centralized water, gas, heating or electricity supplies. Only four medical workers remain in the town, according to the town administration.

The war has also impacted aid organizations providing assistance to people in Bakhmut or surrounding areas to where they had fled. At least three attacks hitting humanitarian facilities or aid workers were recorded in the area over the past few weeks. 

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Bloomberg reported that Prigozhin is preparing to scale back Wagner’s operations in Ukraine after the Russian military leadership succeeded in cutting key supplies of personnel and munitions, citing unspecified people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg’s sources stated that Wagner is planning to shift focus back to Africa but that there is no current indication that Prigozhin is planning to redeploy the Wagner Group to Africa. Bloomberg reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin and intelligence services, that top Russian military commanders worked to undermine Prigozhin‘s position with Russian President Vladimir Putin by claiming that Prigozhin achieved limited and slow success despite sending waves of Russian convicts to their deaths around Soledar and Bakhmut.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Rosatom may be working to restore three power lines at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) which would increase Russian control over the ZNPP. IAEA General Director Rafael Grossi on March 22 commented on Russian reports that Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom is working to restore three powerlines at the thermal power plant switchyard to incorporate into the grid system in Russian-occupied territory, but that the IAEA has not been able to verify this information.

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Russian forces continued to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with artillery, missile, and drone strikes, reportedly killing over 20 civilians in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Lviv, and Zaporizhia regions. In Velyka Vilshanytsia in the western Lviv region, a Russian missile hit residential buildings, killing five civilians. Further missile and drone strikes were also reported in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil.


Sources: OCHA Flash Update March 21, 2023

ISW

ACLED Ukraine Crisis: Political Violence Events - 4 -10 March 2023

OCHA Ukraine: Deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Donetska oblast - Flash Update #2: Avdiivka (24 Mar 2023)

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

(As of  March 19, 2023)


Total civilian casualties from 24 Feb 2022 - 19 March 2023

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 

22,209 civilian casualties in the country. This included 8,317 killed and 13,892 injured.


Civilian casualties from 1 to 19 March 2023. 

OHCHR recorded 469 civilian casualties in Ukraine:


Source:  OHCHR

Verified reports of attacks on health facilities

(1 January -23 March 2023)

Source: WHO

THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE


OVERVIEW

Despite tremendous challenges, local authorities, volunteer groups, the United Nations and humanitarian partners are making every effort to support people who are facing life-threatening needs in Bakhmut and surrounding areas. Relief activities, however, are impacted by insecurity – which on many occasions delays assistance – and the restriction on the movement of civilians, including humanitarians and volunteers, imposed by the Government since 13 February due to the escalation of fighting.

Operations in the parts of Bakhmut allegedly under the military control of the Russian Federation are challenging, with unconfirmed reports of civilians and volunteer groups operating in the area being relocated to Donetsk city, under Russian control. The UN has no access to this area.

In the parts of the city under Ukrainian control, local authorities have established and are running two centres where civilians can get hot meals and have access to electricity to charge phones and to other basic necessities. At the same time, the Government is facilitating the evacuation of civilians from areas controlled by Ukraine to safer regions of the country, with particular focus on children with at least one parent or caretaker.

Community-based volunteer groups are working to provide assistance to people in the city, with the support of the United Nations and other larger aid groups, which are providing relief supplies. According to local groups contacted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), supplies provided by the UN and NGOs since end-2022 have so far been enough to provide people in Bakhmut with essential assistance, including water, hygiene items, medical supplies, food, and critical household items. The supplies have been stocked in basements and shelters. Since the beginning of 2023, the UN has sent at least 11 inter-agency convoys with a comprehensive package of much-needed items to reach approximately 100,000 people in hromadas in areas controlled by Ukraine in Donetska oblast. Seven of these humanitarian convoys, with the participation of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), provided life-saving assistance, including food, water, and medicines, to nearly 70,000 people in need both in Bakhmut and hromadas in the area.

The assistance, however, must continue to be delivered in a systematic way to ensure people in Bakhmut and all front-line communities of Donetska oblast enduring urgent needs can receive the support they need.

Source: UNOCHA

Costs to rebuild Ukraine increase sharply

A new joint assessment released today by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations, estimates that the cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine has grown to US $411 billion (equivalent of €383 billion). The estimate covers the one-year period from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to the first anniversary of the war on February 24, 2023. The cost of reconstruction and recovery is expected to stretch over 10 years and combines both needs for public and private funds.

This second Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA2) provides a comprehensive evaluation of war impacts across twenty different sectors. It quantifies the direct physical damage to infrastructure and buildings and describes the impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. The RDNA2 also includes the amounts needed for recovery and reconstruction. The RDNA2 estimates Ukraine will need $14 billion for critical and priority reconstruction and recovery investments in 2023. Meeting these needs will require $11 billion in financing beyond what the government has already addressed in its 2023 budget, including $6 billion in unfunded budget needs and another $5 billion in financing to support state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and catalyze the private sector.

The RDNA2 assessment finds the total estimated reconstruction and recovery needs to be US$411 billion, 2.6 times the country’s estimated 2022 GDP. The needs – estimated for the next decade – consider inflation, market conditions, surge pricing in areas of mass construction, higher insurance premiums, and a shift in the future towards lower energy intensity and more resilient, inclusive, and modern design. The highest estimated needs are in transport (22 percent), housing (17 percent), energy (11 percent), social protection and livelihoods (10 percent), explosive hazard management (9 percent), and agriculture (7 percent). The largest proportionate increase in damages was in energy, where damage was more than five times greater than in June 2022. The geographic areas with the greatest increase in needs are frontline regions of the war: Donetska, Kharkivska, Luhanska, and Khersonska.

The estimates from both Rapid Damage and Needs Assessments issued to date should be considered as minimums as needs will continue to rise as long as the war continues. But the damages since the release of RDNA1 have not escalated as much as could have been expected due to several factors. First, the most intense conflict has remained constrained to areas that already faced significant damage. Also, some of the country’s needs have been met by the Government of Ukraine with the support of its partners. For example, in the health sector over 500 affected health care facilities have been partially or fully repaired; the energy and transport sectors have benefited from the provision of equipment, materials and financing to make rapid repairs. In addition, the ability to keep the government functioning and essential services flowing, which has helped to limit the escalation of recovery and reconstruction costs.

The report finds direct damages to buildings and infrastructure comes to more than US$135 billion across the following most affected areas: housing (37 percent), transport (26 percent), energy (8 percent), commerce and industry (8 percent), and agriculture (6 percent). Energy, housing and transport sectors have seen the greatest increase in direct damages, since the RDNA1 estimates. Agricultural damage is also significantly higher, reflecting both increased asset destruction and more precise data.

The RDNA2 also focuses on the human impact of the war and how the loss of lives, livelihoods, incomes, and assets has pushed 7.1 million people into poverty and reversed 15 years of development progress. The report also highlights that the impacts of the war have exacerbated inequalities and in particular affected women, children and people with disabilities and resulted in dramatic setbacks in the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to poverty, health, education, economic growth, energy, peace and justice.


Source: Ukraine - Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment : February 2022–2023

Economic impact of the Ukraine conflict


The war has devastated Ukraine’s economy, with hostilities and displacement driving loss of livelihoods and income.

 

The 2023 HRP (Humanitarian Response Plan) says, “A majority of Ukrainians have reportedly reduced food consumption and spent savings, with factors such as the elimination of 30 per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war employment,  skyrocketing inflation, and inadequate social assistance largely to blame.”

 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had multiple negative economic impacts on Ukraine. According to ACAPS, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) “decreased by 30% in 2022. Exports and tax income have decreased at a time when increased defence spending is drastically increasing government spending. The devaluation of the Ukrainian hryvnia and increase in inflation are driving up prices.”

 

These negative economic impacts contribute to a wide range of humanitarian consequences and needs and demonstrate the importance of humanitarian aid that provides cash assistance and livelihood support.

 

Ukraine’s agricultural sector is a crucial source of livelihood for Ukrainians, especially those living in rural areas. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agricultural sector accounts for 11% of the country’s gross domestic product and almost 40% of total exports.

 

According to OEC, “The top exports of Ukraine are Seed Oils ($5.32B), Corn ($4.89B), Wheat ($4.61B), Iron Ore ($4.27B), and Semi-Finished Iron ($3.03B), exporting mostly to China ($7.26B), Poland ($3.26B), Russia ($2.97B), Turkey ($2.5B), and Egypt ($2.39B).”

 

Sunflower may be the most important crop to the Ukrainian economy, considering the size of agricultural holdings, the value of its products and the number of jobs it creates. From Feb. 24 to Oct. 4, 2022, REACH recorded 72 cases of damage or destruction of agricultural machinery. The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the country’s sunflower oil processing supply chain has been significant.

 

Fires impacting agricultural facilities were reported in central Dnipropetrovska oblast in July 2022. The attack escalation will likely contribute to significant harvest disruption and impacts on food security. Also, the time it takes to demine territories back under the control of Ukraine’s government causes delays in determining food assistance and livelihood needs.

 

Humanitarian partners are prioritizing the provision of food in hard-to-reach and frontline areas. Livestock owners in Khersonska oblast have been unable to graze their animals because their fields have been contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance.

 

According to the World Food Programme (WFP)’s February 2023 food security trend analysis: “Households chiefly relied on cash purchases as their main source of food, and while markets saw some critical disruptions in the early months of the war, supply issues relatively quickly stabilised in most of the country, outside the vicinity of the front line. At the same time, lack of access to stable income emerged as a critical issue.

 

Adding to this picture the steadily upward trend of food inflation seen throughout most of 2022, it is clear that economic access to food remains a key issue for food security, as purchasing power has been hollowed out in 2022.”

 

The conflict is likely to exacerbate world hunger, particularly in countries already facing famine or high levels of malnutrition and food shortages. It will also increase the costs of many products globally. Ukraine exported a number of products that will significantly impact the global food supply chain. Ukraine and Russia export 28% of the world’s wheat and 15% of its corn.


Source: McKinsey & Company


Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, combined with lingering pandemic effects and an increase in climate-related events, will have far-reaching consequences globally. The war in Ukraine has sent food prices soaring, exacerbating the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. The WFP has urged for a “political solution” as the closure of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea threatens food supplies globally.

 

An agreement in July with the UN and Turkey aimed to facilitate shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, with the deal aiming to ease the global food shortage. On Aug. 3, the first shipment of Ukrainian food under the deal was cleared to proceed from Istanbul to its destination in Lebanon. On Oct. 29, Russia suspended its involvement in the agreement only to resume its cooperation in early November. The agreement has allowed around 10 million tons of foodstuffs to enter the world market. The agreement was due to expire on Nov. 19, however, an extension was reached for another 120 days.

 

The 120-day deal will be renewed on March 18 if no party objects. A Turkish diplomatic source said in early March 2023 that Russia’s demands had not yet been met, adding that they were “working very hard” to ensure the deal continues. On March 8, UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “The Black Sea Grain Initiative, agreed last July in Istanbul, has provided for the export of 23 million tons of grain from Ukrainian ports.”

 

Ukraine says speeding up inspections of ships is key to increasing exports under the agreement. Russia continues to restrict most shipments from Ukraine and attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure contribute to disrupting the flow of food onto global markets. However, despite grain once again leaving Ukrainian ports and fertilizer prices falling, the world is still struggling with the worst food crisis in modern history. Concerns remain, given that food prices appear to have stabilized at high levels.


Source: https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/ukraine-humanitarian-crisis/ 

UN Human Rights Office releases new reports on treatment of prisoners of war and overall human rights situation in Ukraine

Deployed in March 2014, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine monitors, publicly reports on and advocates for the human rights situation in the country with the aim of fostering access to justice and bringing perpetrators to account. In the aftermath of the armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the Mission has been fully dedicated to monitoring how the attack has impacted the human rights situation in the country. HRMMU has relocated some of its operations due to the hostilities and is now present in Kyiv, Uzhhorod, Odesa, Dnipro and Poltava, as well as in Kraków and Chișinău, and conducts regular visits to other cities. The Mission continues to remotely monitor the human rights situation in Crimea. Every day, human rights officers speak to victims and witnesses of human rights violations throughout the country, including those in territory occupied by the Russian Federation. 


This thirty-fifth report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the human rights situation in Ukraine covers the period from 1 August 2022 to 31 January 2023. It is based on the work of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). The report is based on information gathered during 99 field visits, 32 visits to places of detention, and 1,090 interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations, as well as with relatives of victims and their lawyers, Government representatives, members of civil society and other interlocutors. It also draws from information obtained from court proceedings, official records, open sources and other relevant material. Findings are based on verified information collected from primary and secondary sources that are assessed as credible and reliable


The human rights situation across the country remains dire amid the ongoing armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The international armed conflict has led to a wide range of human rights violations affecting both civilians and combatants. OHCHR has verified numerous allegations of arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment, and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).


Key Findings


Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stressed that the parallel memorandum of understanding between the Russian Federation and the United Nations on the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer exports is critical to the broader fight against global food insecurity.


Stressing that the United Nations is doing everything possible to make sure the Initiative can continue and is sparing no effort to facilitate the memorandum’s full implementation, he said that — while meaningful progress has been made — impediments remain. Citing the unstable global economy, rising poverty and societies that remain off-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, he stressed that “it is vital for global food security that both of these agreements continue”.


In the ensuing debate, Council members spotlighted the war’s impact on global food and energy security, with many also calling for unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Ukraine and stressing that civilians must not be targeted during military operations. Some also said that military solutions and unilateral sanctions will not end the conflict, instead calling for dialogue and noting that diplomatic engagement led to the signing of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. On that point, many Council members underlined the Initiative’s critical importance in ameliorating the international effects of the war in Ukraine.


The representative from the United Arab Emirates hailed the Initiative as indirectly preventing around 100 million people from falling into extreme poverty, adding that 24 million tons of grain and over 1,600 secure vessel voyages have been made, with 55 per cent of food exports going to developing countries. She, thus, encouraged Council members to support the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and called for the full implementation of the memorandum of understanding.


While the Security Council members considered the Initiative vital to alleviating food supply crisis, the Russian Federation’s representative  stated that the Initiative’s impact on global food prices has been questionable. He noted that Moscow does not object to extending the Initiative until 18 May, but that Western governments have two months to exempt his country’s entire agricultural sector from sanctions.


The representative of Ukraine called for the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for at least 120 days after its expiry on 18 March, especially as Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations.


Source:   UN Human Rights Office to release new reports on treatment of prisoners of war and overall human rights situation in Ukraine

Humanitarian aid in Ukraine as conflict intensifies

Humanitarian organizations continued their humanitarian efforts, focusing on reaching conflict-affected communities.

After the launch of the 2023 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Ukraine Situation in Geneva coordinated by the UN on 15 February, local launch events by UNHCR were held in each of the ten countries included in the RRP, with the closing one on 14 March in the Czech Republic. The local launches brought together members of RRP organizations, government authorities, the civil society, donors and other entities supporting the in-country response. The events provided an opportunity to reflect on achievements and challenges of 2022, to outline priorities for 2023, to acknowledge the extraordinary whole-of-society solidarity and generosity demonstrated to date, and to call further support for 2023.

After three months, these massive efforts have produced remarkable results, although the intensified conflict demands even further expansion.

Source: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/99736


World Food Programme

To support those people in need, WFP participated in deliveries to locations that are increasingly hard to reach with humanitarian assistance. In total 750 GFD rations were dispatched to Chasiv Yar, located a few kilometres from the Bakhmut frontline as well as 1,500 rations to Kupiansk, Lyman and Preobrazhenka, in coordination with OCHA and with key support from the Logistics Cluster during the last two weeks. These deliveries to critical locations in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are vital to ensure the assistance reaches communities close to the frontline.

On 9 March, a Field Level Agreement was signed with the long-time partner, Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD), to carry out demining education and clearance activities in Ukraine, currently the most mined country in the world. The project, being carried out in close collaboration with FAO, will identify households where demining and clearance activities will have the highest impact on livelihoods and production.

Under the cash assistance programme, WFP disbursed more than USD 17 million in cash assistance to over 280,000 people in need in March, to date.

Source: WFP Ukraine External Situation Report #38 (23 March 2023)

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WHO

Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has transferred almost 134 million hryvnias (US$ 3.6 million) to hospitals operating under temporary occupation. From the beginning of 2023, health-care facilities operating in the temporarily occupied territories continue to receive funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine. Sixty-four health-care facilities located in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine receive funding under this package. Of those, 22 health-care facilities are in the Luhansk region, 15 each are in the Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk regions, and another 12 are in the Kherson region.

As of 20 March, WHO received in its warehouses in the city of Kyiv, in the Kyiv oblast and in Lviv medical supplies with a value of over US$ 72.53 million and a total weight of over 3032 metric tonnes. They included Trauma and Emergency Surgery Kits (TESK) 2019, WHO trauma bags, Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs) and other items.

Between 13 and 20 March medical supplies and equipment with a total value exceeding US$ 1.43 million and a total weight of more than 156 metric tonnes were delivered to 13 oblasts across Ukraine. They included IEHKs, trauma/surgery supplies (TESK 2019, surgical instruments etc.), intercity bus, medication and office supplies.

Source: WHO War in Ukraine: situation report from WHO Ukraine country office. Issue No. 48, 22 March 2023

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UNDP

Since the beginning of October 2022, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have intensified, disrupting essential services and causing blackouts. Helping people stay warm and ensuring power in hospitals, schools and community centres is a matter of life or death, particularly for the most vulnerable.

Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is significantly damaged, and 18 million Ukrainians need emergency assistance.  With the Government of Ukraine and its partners, UNDP, supported by the European Union and the governments and people of Japan, Germany, Korea, Sweden and Norway, is buying specialized energy equipment that keeps the power flowing, especially when temperatures fall below zero, and keeps schools and hospitals working.

At the request of the Ukrainian Government and on behalf of the UN system, UNDP is co-leading an assessment of damage to energy infrastructure, jointly with the World Bank, that will pinpoint critical needs for every region and sector of the economy.

UNDP is buying high-voltage auto-transformers and other equipment which will restore important links in the broken energy network and ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity, water and heating.

UNDP’s programming is also looking to Ukraine’s future energy needs and working with the government to lay the foundations to build forward better, with a focus on boosting energy security through clean, affordable and renewable energies.

Source: “No one was afraid of the responsibility” Defying danger, Ukraine’s power engineers work on

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

General Audience - March 22, 2023

Saturday will be the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, and our thoughts turn to 25 March last year, when, in union with all the bishops of the world, the Church and humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine, were consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us not tire of entrusting the cause of peace to the Queen of Peace. I would therefore like to invite every believer and community, especially prayer groups, to renew every 25 March the act of consecration to Our Lady, so that she, who is Mother, may preserve us all in unity and peace.

And let us not forget, in these days, troubled Ukraine, who is suffering so much.

Sabato si celebrerà la Solennità dell’Annunciazione del Signore e il pensiero va al 25 marzo dello scorso anno, quando, in unione con tutti i Vescovi del mondo, si sono consacrate la Chiesa e l’umanità, in particolare la Russia e l’Ucraina, al Cuore Immacolato di Maria. Non stanchiamoci di affidare la causa della pace alla Regina della pace. Desidero perciò invitare ciascun credente e comunità, specialmente i gruppi di preghiera, a rinnovare ogni 25 marzo l’atto di consacrazione alla Madonna, perché lei, che è Madre, possa custodirci tutti nell’unità e nella pace.

E non dimentichiamo, in questi giorni, la martoriata Ucraina, che soffre tanto.

Links to the full text in  ITALIAN and ENGLISH

Angelus - March 26, 2023

Yesterday, Solemnity of the Annunciation, we renewed the consecration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the certainty that only the conversion of hearts can open the way that leads to peace. Let us continue to pray for the tormented Ukrainian people.

Ieri, solennità dell’Annunciazione, abbiamo rinnovato la consacrazione al Cuore Immacolato di Maria, nella certezza che solo la conversione dei cuori può aprire la strada che conduce alla pace. Continuiamo a pregare per il martoriato popolo ucraino.

Links to the full text in  ITALIAN and ENGLISH

TODAY'S WAY OF THE CROSS - CATHOLIC RESPONSE FOR UKRAINE


A Reflective and Informative Presentation - April 4, 2023

We invite you to join us for a special opportunity to hear from Bruce Compton, CHA’s Senior Director of Global Health and Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission about their visit to Ukraine earlier this month.

IMAGES FROM CR4U MEMBERS

Shelter, housing, winterization:  Windows and doors of the barn were sealed and insulated by volunteers. (Photo: Malteser Ukraine)