Ambulance blessed by Pope Francis delivered to Ukraine

Aleteia previously reported on March 26 that Pope Francis had blessed the ambulance at the Vatican before Cardinal Krajewski took it on the road. On the occasion, Cardinal Krajewski said he would make the trip “with all his faith” to “see the concrete consequences” of the act of consecration that united the Church worldwide.

According to Vatican News, there are at least 250,000 Ukrainians internally displaced. These are Ukrainians who have remained in the country, but have been forced out of their homes. Cardinal Krajewski called the donation “symbolic” since an ambulance is meant to save lives and the Vatican is praying for an end to the war. He said: 

The donated ambulance will be assigned to the regional Center for Mother and Child Health. An unnamed Ukrainian official noted that the ambulance comes at a time of dire need, when numbers of refugees have significantly increased. They said: 

Catholic World Report notes that this is Cardinal Krajewski’s second trip to Ukraine since the war began on February 24. In his first trip, he spent a week in Lviv, a Ukrainian city that lies less than an hour from the Polish border. The Papal Almoner donated fuel and helped load trucks with supplies destined for the most war-torn areas of the country. 

BBC reports that an estimated 10 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since the war began. According to their estimates, there could be as many as 6.5 million internally displaced Ukrainians, with an additional 4 million taking refuge in neighboring countries. These figures are based on research by the UN’s International Organization for Migration. 

Read more at Vatican News.