Pope Francis is closely watching the developments of the war in Ukraine, and listening to the stories of those coming from the country.
In Rome, he received representatives of Caritas and Caritas Spes Ukraine.
TETIANA STAWNYCHY
Caritas Ukraine
Many times he expressed his concern for Ukraine, for the people of Ukraine, for the humanitarian situation.
You could see that it affected him. That he feels in a very deeply this all humanitarian needs that have been created by this war.
The meeting took place in a special place. It would have been in one of the meeting rooms in Casa Santa Marta, but Pope Francis had changed his mind.
FR. VYACHESLAV GRYNEVYCH
Caritas-Spes Ukraine
No, no, no, please, enter in my room. It was like: oh, my goodness. It's not just simple, you know, place for meeting. It's his private room. So for me, he invited us to his privacy.
They meet in his room, and share with him stories, such as of a priest who comforted a non-believer whose legs had to be amputated in a hospital in Kharkiv.
Or the story of how a homeless man became one of Cartias' most active volunteers in providing humanitarian aid, as well as one of a woman they helped give birth.
FR. VYACHESLAV GRYNEVYCH
Caritas-Spes Ukraine
I don't know, I think in many stories of that people and also in my private stories, I see the participation of God.
Tetiana vividly remembers certain moments of the war, such as seeing missiles fall close to her house.
TETIANA STAWNYCHY
Caritas Ukraine
That kind of experience it stays with you.
Sometimes you can forget that the war is ongoing. When you focus just on your work, and you're focusing on different pieces and then when a piece of destruction breaks into your sphere of existence, your sphere of life, and then you're brought back into the brutality of the war and the senselessness of war.
Pope Francis wanted to personally meet with them to hear their stories, and show his closeness to them.
This is the picture of their meeting, and it was the first time that the Pope was seen using a cane, a sign that his knee is improving, since just the week before he was using a wheelchair in all of his meetings.
JRB
TR: JM
