Ukrainian refugees

In his Christmas message, he offered special greetings to “our soldiers at the front,” to civilians and soldiers who have been wounded and to all those mourning the loss of loved ones.

The leaders discussed reconciliation between Ukraine and Russia, looking at the post-World War II experience of the Germans and French, the French and Poles, and the 30-year path to the reconciliation of the Ukrainian and Polish peoples.

While Ukrainians remain defiant, some Catholic organizations sounded the alarm about the difficulties on the ground that have only increased since the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, since the war began Feb. 24, more than 5.2 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe, as of July 4; nearly 1.2 million are in Poland.

Hidden on the edge of the primeval Kampinos Forest, the Franciscan motherhouse is an oasis of peace for desperate Ukrainian women and children refugees.

Hearing that his ailing mother was in a hospital in his homeland of Ukraine, Yuri Ivan, music director at St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church in Minneapolis, realized he had to get home.

“We are particularly concerned with the most vulnerable and hope that support will be given to separated families, the elderly, and those with urgent medical needs,” the bishops said.

“It’s very difficult to predict what that migration will (look like) but we are planning for different scenarios,” said U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.