Pope Francis sets up committee to distribute funds to war victims in Ukraine

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has decided to set up a committee to oversee the distribution of money to Ukrainians who are affected by the conflict in the east of the nation. The money was collected by Catholic churches across Europe on Sunday 24th April in response to a personal appeal by the Pope. The setting up of the committee came just days before a scheduled visit to Ukraine by the (Vatican) Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Speaking to journalists, the Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, said the money would be distributed to all those impacted by Ukraine’s conflict, regardless of their religion or ethnic group.  He said the committee will consist of a President, Jan Sobilo, auxiliary Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, and four other members and its mandate will run for one year and will be renewed if deemed necessary. 

Experts say there are more than 1.7 million displaced people in Ukraine as a result of the conflict in the east between government troops and Russian-backed separatist forces.