Pope pledges ‘substantial’ personal offering for Ukraine collection

Pope Francis has promised to give a “substantial offering” to this weekend’s collection for Ukraine that will take place in parishes across Europe.

In a letter sent to the bishops of Europe Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said the “Holy Father has wished to draw the attention of the faithful to the tragic consequences of the ongoing conflict, ignored by many”.

Earlier this month Francis asked all Catholic parishes in Europe to organise a collection on Sunday 24 April for Ukraine, which he said was in desperate need of “humanitarian assistance” since war erupted in late 2013.

The letter stated that the funds will be used for “those living in conflict zones and those displaced within the country”.

It went on to explain how the aid would be “properly managed” by the Holy See through a Special Commission tasked with evaluating projects and through scrutiny by the Pontifical Council.

Along with the letter Cardinal Parolin sent an information sheet outlining details of the crisis in Ukraine, including statistics of the 9,000 people dead and 500,000 in urgent need of food.

The funds will be distributed “for the benefit of the whole population”, stated the letter, regardless of people’s faith affiliation.

The exact sum promised by the Pope was not disclosed.