The Vatican will send Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín to Ukraine from Oct. 27 through Oct. 30, leading a humanitarian mission as the country prepares for what he called a “very harsh winter.”

Marín is scheduled to visit Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Fastiv. His itinerary includes meetings with Latin-rite and Greek Catholic communities.

“I want to understand firsthand the needs of the population and, above all, make present the concern and closeness of Pope Leo XIV,” Marín said.

Supplies collected in Vatican City

Vatican employees organized a collection drive with the Governorate of Vatican City State. Donations include warm clothing, canned food, blankets, sheets, sleeping bags and other garments.

Rome’s Holy Wisdom, or Santa Sofia, Parish served as the collection operation’s hub. The supplies will travel by road to Ukraine through the international TIR transit system, then be distributed by local Church charitable structures.

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity has organized aid convoys and relief projects since the beginning of the war. Aid from the current effort will be distributed through Church structures in Kyiv.

“A very harsh winter is expected, and as Christians, as the Church, we cannot remain indifferent or passive,” Marín said.

Papal diplomacy and humanitarian concerns

Pope Leo XIV spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16 and requested a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid deliveries. The Pope also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking him to cooperate with Moscow on a humanitarian truce in Oleshky.

Moscow announced that a ceasefire intended to facilitate the rescue of civilians in Oleshky would begin Oct. 27. Approximately 2,000 civilians remain there.

On Oct. 23, Pope Leo XIV received Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk in a private audience. Shevchuk requested international Catholic mobilization for the winter and presented the Pope with lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war for transfer to Russian authorities.