Cardenal Krajewski en su visión a Ucrania
** El Grupo pro Arte y Cultura y WISe Art ha contribuido con trescientos mil euros y siguen contribuyendo hasta el 6 de enero
L.M.A.
30.12.2022.- Roma.- El cardenal Konrad Krajewski, polaco, limosnero apostólico del Vaticano, ha llevado personalmente en camión, desde el Vaticano a Ucrania, una serie de generadores eléctricos y centenares de camisetas térmicas durante los días de Navidad, en los que ha visitado a diversas comunidades cristianas en aquel país en guerra: Misioneras de la Caridad de la Madre Teresa, Capuchinos, religiosas de la familia de Nazaret... para los que celebró misa y entregó un rosario de parte del Papa Francisco. Un rosario para creyentes y no creyentes, en señal de fe y unidad.
El reparto ha tenido lugar principalmente en las localidades de Kiev y Fastiv.
El cardenal Krajewsky había escrito previamente una carta a los católicos del mundo pidiendo camisetas térmicas para enviar a Ucrania. Debido a la guerra y los cortes de electricidad, la población local está pasando un invierno muy frío.
P. Vyacheslav Grynevych , Secretario General, Cáritas Spes Ucrania dice: Durante el día, durante casi todo el día no tenemos electricidad. Y tenemos que ser muy flexibles con nuestra gestión del tiempo y necesidades. Porque, por ejemplo, si tienes cocina eléctrica y quieres cocinar algo, debes tener mucho cuidado de hacerlo a tiempo.
En su misiva, el cardenal Krajewski pidió ayuda para que los ucranianos pasasen la Navidad abrigados. Añadió la dirección del Dicasterio para el Servicio de la Caridad, el Cortile de Sant’Egidio de la Ciudad del Vaticano, para que enviasen allí directamente el material.
El cardenal Konrad Krajewski es uno de los enviados a Ucrania para representar al Papa. Es de origen polaco y ya ha viajado personalmente en el camión más de cuatro veces a Ucrania, desde el estallido de la guerra, con diversas entregas de material. En uno de sus viajes entregó en Leópolis una ambulancia donada por Francisco.
El Grupo pro Arte y Cultura, por indicación y sugerencia de su fundadora Mayte Spínola, y el grupo suizo WISe Art, dirigido por Carlos Moreira han contribuido generosamente con aportaciones económicas -trescientos mil euros- a esta causa de "generadores eléctricos y ropa termal" para Ucrania, país en guerra.
La campaña de recogida de fondos continua hasta el 6 de enero.
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Ukraine, Krajewski: mission completed, the Pope happy that his closeness has arrived
The cardinal on his return from Lviv, after a week on a mission to a country at war to bring electric generators and thermal T-shirts, recounts the moments of Christmas he lived in Kyiv where he delivered aid and met various communities: "Here we suffer so much from the lack of water and electricity". "The Holy Father sent me a voice message on WhatsApp to tell me that he was happy to have been able to pray and suffer, through his beggar, with the population"
Salvatore Cernuzio and Benedetta Capelli - Vatican City
Back to Rome with an empty truck and a full heart, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who concluded his mission in Ukraine where he delivered electric generators and thermal T-shirts to the population in the cold and dark. Once again, since the outbreak of war, the almoner has become a messenger of the Pope's charity for the inhabitants of the "battered" country. And the Pope himself, who has been in constant contact with the cardinal since the beginning of his journey on December 17, personally wanted to thank him with a voice message, sent from a cell phone: "The Holy Father sent me a message via WhatsApp. He was happy to 'be here', to be close to the Ukrainian people through his almoner, to be able to confirm people in the faith, pray with them, be with them, eat with them, suffer with them, because everyone suffers here. Just think of these large buildings without light, without water with people who can't even go to the bathroom,” the cardinal told Vatican News on the phone.
The line comes and goes and the cardinal is always on the move: contact with Krajewski takes place in Kyiv, where he spent Christmas, in one of the rare moments of rest and with Wi-Fi available. In these hours, the almsgiver is returning to Lviv - the first stage of his journey - and from there he will head home to Rome, driving a van. “I traveled around a bit… Now I begin to walk from Kyiv to Lviv, where I meet Greek-Catholic priests. I'm ready to do these 2000 km to Rome".
The cardinal retraces the days that have just passed, especially the Christmas holidays spent in the capital, at the end of two days of continuous transfers. “In Lviv I brought as many generators and thermal shirts as I could. Then with the car full of thermal clothes I arrived in Kyiv and handed everything over to Caritas. They started distributing in various parts of Ukraine, especially in war zones.” Christmas in Kyiv
"On Christmas night, in the afternoon - the Polish cardinal continues - I went outside Kyiv, 80 km away, to a place called Fastiv, where there are Dominicans who have a parish and a house for refugees. At the beginning of the war, many people stopped by them and they organized several buses to take people out of the country". At 9 pm on December 24, the cardinal celebrated Mass: "We were in the Church with the generators, there was no light, it is difficult for us to understand this ... When there is no light, there is no heating, there is no can cook. Fortunately, with the money sent a month and a half ago to the nuncio from the Almoner's Office in the name of the Holy Father, the big generators were bought. We used one of these to celebrate Mass and give light to the house where the refugees are".
The Pope's Rosary
For the cardinal it was a "beautiful" moment: "There was peace. Even though we are in an often bombed place, there was tranquility”. On the other hand, around 300 people were present at Mass, who returned home before 11pm due to the curfew. Krajewski gave the community a pearl rosary from the Pope: "I asked that every family, every person present there, take this rosary at least 24 hours at home, even if they are of different religions, as a sign of union with the Holy Father. I explained that Our Lady not only gave birth to Jesus but she stood before the Cross, so she knows what suffering means ”.
The light where there is darkness
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Krajewski with a van in Ukraine to bring generators and thermal shirts
12/19/2022
Krajewski with a van in Ukraine to bring generators and thermal shirts
Therefore also spiritual and not only material aid was brought to Ukraine by the papal envoy. The message, that is, of the "hope of resurrection" and of the "light that Jesus brings us to the world, while in Ukraine it is total darkness". "When I returned to Kyiv - the cardinal goes on - nothing could be seen, even walking is dangerous, everything is an obstacle, then there was even the rain.... Everyone is waiting for the day, I thought it's like us Christians who are waiting for the birth of Jesus to see the right ways to walk".
"Mission accomplished"
Also in Kyiv, the almsgiver visited the Missionaries of Charity, the so-called Sisters of Mother Teresa, who are also involved in aid. In fact, they manage a dormitory with about thirty people, right in the war zone. They take in those who have lost family members and host around 150-200 people three or four times a week for lunch. “I celebrated Mass with them, then lunch at the Nunciature and in the afternoon I went to visit other religious communities: the Capuchins, the nuns of the Nazareth family. I walked around a bit… The noises of the generators can be heard everywhere. Many have come from Italy thanks to the incredible generosity of the people. All those that we have brought, have already been distributed and work. I'd say mission accomplished."
