The special humanitarian initiative of Pope Francis “Pope for Ukraine”; director – Jan Sobilo, Auxiliary bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Roman Catholic diocese. 

Official position/functions regarding the conflict 

The “Pope for Ukraine” initiative was launched in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the armed conflict in Ukraine. It followed a global fundraising campaign for the needs of Ukrainians that took place at the call of Pope Francis on April 24, 2016. During their two-year work, the coordinators of this initiative supported more than 400 public projects on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church, among which were both religious and secular projects. The main goal of the initiative was to meet the needs of the affected population.

Interests in the region of the conflict

The initiative officially ended at the end of 2018, having performed humanitarian functions within the framework of the diplomatic relations of the Vatican and Ukraine. For the period of its activity, its representatives were interested in providing humanitarian support for the population of Ukraine, as well as in strengthening the image of the Vatican and demonstrating its balanced position on the conflict. The activity and the financial assistance of the “Pope for Ukraine” initiative helped overcome the skepticism of some critics regarding the too neutral position of Rome and maintain a high level of trust personally to Pope Francis compared to other religious leaders. 

Activity regarding the conflict 

In the framework of the initiative, representatives of the RCC in Ukraine managed to support more than 400 initiatives aimed at overcoming the consequences of the armed conflict, mostly through humanitarian and social support of the victims of the war.