Vatican sends new humanitarian mission to Ukraine ahead of ‘very harsh winter’

The Vatican will step up its support for Ukraine ahead of the coming winter with a new humanitarian mission led by the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín.

“A very harsh winter is expected, and as Christians, as the Church, we cannot remain indifferent or passive. My journey is a mission of solidarity and closeness, a witness of love,” the archbishop confirmed to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Archbishop Marín will travel to Ukraine from Oct. 27-30 on a visit “coordinated through the Apostolic Nunciature,” during which he will visit Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Fastiv.

The itinerary includes meetings with Latin-rite and Greek Catholic communities as part of the Holy See’s efforts to accompany a population that has been deeply affected by a war that will mark its fifth year in February.

“I want to understand firsthand the needs of the population and, above all, make present the concern and closeness of Pope Leo XIV. Ukraine is in our hearts, and through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, in the name of the Holy Father, we seek to respond with concrete assistance,” he said.…