Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, brought hope and joy to war-torn Ukraine this Christmas season. Despite the ongoing conflict, Cardinal Krajewski celebrated Christmas Mass with villages heavily affected by the war and inaugurated a soup kitchen in the city of Fastiv, 80 kilometres southwest of Kyiv. This soup kitchen, which had been missing from the centre since 2009, is especially important for the poor and refugees and is run by volunteers from all over, including many from Poland.
Cardinal Krajewski’s mission to Ukraine is far from over, and a new phase has begun with Pope Francis’ gift of a new medical van for the city of Lviv and 6,000 ultrasound machines for damaged hospitals. The Pope stays informed about the initiative and the situation in the country, and even called Cardinal Krajewski when he arrived in Kyiv on December 23 to check in on the mission. In Fastiv, Cardinal Krajewski was welcomed with a Christmas performance led by children from the area, many of whom are now orphans due to the war. He also met with elderly people and the sick, and took part in a traditional Christmas custom of breaking white bread.
The Cardinal expressed the Pope’s wishes to share the Christmas message with the communities in war-torn areas, saying “We hope that this will be the last Christmas of war.” He encouraged everyone to continue praying, stressing that “faith and prayer can move mountains,” and that if we trust in God, this absurd war will end. Cardinal Krajewski reflected on the Gospel passage of the feeding of the 5,000, noting that the generosity of the people in Fastiv is a modern-day miracle. Every day, someone brings bread, rice, pasta, and meat, and nothing is missing. As Cardinal Krajewski said, “These are the miracles of today”.