May 3, 2016 / 05:23 am
"I want to go back home." This is the most common phrase uttered by internally displaced persons in Ukraine, says Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso, Secretary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
Msgr. Dal Toso visited Ukraine Apr. 24-27, following the extraordinary collection for the country launched by Pope Francis. As the Pontifical Council Cor Unum has been entrusted by the Pope to deliver the money, Msgr. Dal Toso traveled to Ukraine to get acquainted with the situation.
During his the days in Kiev, Msgr. Dal Toso met with the top officials of the Greek Catholic and Latin Church in Ukraine, but also with the representatives of other Christian denominations, including the Russian Patriarchate. He also had meetings with officials of the United Nations and was able to visit a place where internal displaced people are gathered.
He recounted to CNA that "there is an incredible number of people who fled their homes: 3 million people are living in disadvantaged conditions, while there are 1.5 million internally displaced persons."