ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and almoner to Pope Leo XIV, completed a four-day humanitarian mission to Ukraine to distribute relief supplies and convey the pontiff’s solidarity to populations living near the front lines, as The Dialog reported.
The papal envoy traveled approximately 1,740 miles by road between Oct. 27 and Oct. 30, visiting 12 Catholic charitable institutions across the country. Each facility received a gift from the pope to assist with local aid efforts in the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
During his time in the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, located about 12 miles from active fighting, Archbishop Marín stayed overnight as military attacks continued. The morning following his arrival, a Russian drone struck a municipal bus roughly 650 feet from the papal delegation's accommodations, injuring four people according to local municipal authorities.
Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, a Polish-born prelate who has served in Ukraine for more than three decades, indicated to the news outlet that the almoner directly experienced the physical realities of the conflict. Bishop Sobilo observed that the archbishop appeared deeply affected by the large crowds of residents gathered to receive food assistance.
At dawn on Oct. 29, approximately 2,000 people gathered outside the Catholic Cathedral of God the Merciful Father in Zaporizhzhia. The crowd included children carrying empty bags, some arriving without parents. Archbishop Marín joined the Albertine Brothers outside the cathedral to help hand out bread to those waiting.
The distribution facility utilizes an industrial oven donated through the Vatican's charitable office. Two retired Protestant women assist the brothers in baking between 1,200 and 1,500 loaves of bread several times per week. Overall, the local bakery project provides bread to about 10,000 people weekly, alongside distributions of canned goods and instant soups.
Many of those lining up for relief had previously fled occupied territories, including Mariupol, Melitopol, and Berdiansk. Bishop Sobilo informed the outlet that many displaced residents continue to live in temporary housing without sufficient income for basic necessities. The bishop noted that the brothers make special efforts to provide sweets, winter jackets, hats, and shoes to unattended children, whose fathers may be fighting, missing, or deceased.
Prior to the papal envoy's arrival, Father Lukasz Slusarczyk, director of Caritas for the Archdiocese of Kraków in Poland, delivered aid to the city. Father Slusarczyk stated to the outlet that ballistic missiles hit targets within 980 feet of the cathedral shortly after 4:30 a.m. during his stay. He noted that aid workers managed to raise funds to replenish depleted stocks of canned food for the distribution site.
Displaced residents in Zaporizhzhia reported ongoing daily shellings as the front line remains approximately 7.5 miles from parts of the area. Local residents and Church leaders expressed severe concern regarding the upcoming winter season, anticipating potential blackouts that could disrupt electricity, water, heating, and municipal sewage pumps.
Educational institutions in the area have adapted to the persistent aerial threats. At the Catholic Don Bosco School in Zaporizhzhia, school director Vitaliya Vovk told the outlet that primary students in the first, second, and third grades attend daily instruction from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside underground bomb shelters. Although pupils were away on a scheduled break during Archbishop Marín's visit, Vovk emphasized that the delegation's presence signaled to the community that their situation is recognized internationally.
Bishop Sobilo warned of long-term psychological distress among local children exposed to continuous air raid alerts and bombardments, citing cases of severe anxiety, speech loss, and sleep disorders. At the same time, Church figures report that overall charitable donations have declined while local demand for food continues to rise.
The papal mission followed a broader Vatican collection effort held Oct. 22-24, which gathered roughly 600 boxes containing winter clothes, blankets, linens, sleeping bags, and food. Two transport trucks delivered those supplies to Church entities in Kyiv and Fastiv for distribution to front-line communities. Bishop Sobilo noted that Archbishop Marín's visit mirrored previous aid trips by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, providing spiritual comfort alongside material assistance.
