Pope Francis announces special collection for Ukraine

Pope Francis has asked all Catholic churches in Europe to take up a special collection for the people of beleaguered Ukraine on 24 April.

Speaking to tens of thousands of Catholics at the end of Mass in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope announced the aid initiative, saying: “This gesture of charity, in addition to relieving material suffering, is intended to express my personal closeness and solidarity, and that of the entire Church, for Ukraine.”

“Beyond accompanying them with my constant thoughts and prayers, I’ve decided to promote humanitarian assistance for them,” he said.

He encouraged all the faithful of Europe to make a generous contribution to the collection on the 5^th Sunday of Easter.

The vast majority of Christians living in Ukraine are Orthodox but there are also several million Eastern Rite Catholics who are in unity with Rome; around five million.

Over 9,000 people have died since conflict erupted in the Eastern European country in late 2013, according to the UN’s office for humanitarian affairs.

Pope Francis has called attention to the violence in Ukraine on multiple occasions, most recently in his Urbi et Orbi message for Easter where he called for a solution to the conflict.

His latest announcement comes after some leaders in the Eastern Rite church objected to his meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba,

Later, Francis acknowledged understanding why Greek Catholics might have felt “betrayed” by the declaration signed by the two leaders. 

The Pope has not yet said how the collection will be distributed.