KUL donated PLN 50,000 to flood victims in Brazil

More than PLN 50,000 was donated to flood victims in Brazil by the Society of Friends of the Catholic University of Lublin. The organization conducted a collection initiated by the rector of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Rev. Prof. Miroslaw Kalinowski. Contributions went to the Polish community.

Donations were received by, among others: Polish Catholic Mission in Porto Alegre, the John Paul II Center for Research on Polish Culture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, the Rio Grande do Sul State Government. The money was earmarked for the ongoing needs of the flood victims. - We showed our heart and supported our friends in Brazil, including our compatriots. Thank you on their behalf for every expression of solidarity - the Catholic University of Lublin rector stressed.

In May this year, the disaster mainly affected residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of the clusters of Brazil's Polish community. The situation for many people was tragic. Part of the state's capital Porto Alegre was under water, including the church where the Polish Catholic Mission in Brazil operates. The Catholic University of Lublin rushed to help. It is estimated that up to two million people may have been affected by the effects of the element. It is indicated that the Brazilian Polish community numbers between 1.5 and 3 million people. Most of them are descendants of Polish emigrants from the turn of the 20th century, often no longer speaking the Polish language, but declaring their ties to the country of their ancestors.

The Catholic University of Lublin's response to the cataclysm was no accident. The university is heavily involved in activities for the Polish community. - This year, in cooperation with the Pontifical Catholic University (PUCRS), we established the John Paul II Center for the Study of Polish Culture in Porto Alegre, with the aim of teaching the Polish language, disseminating Polish history and culture in Brazil and safeguarding Polish cultural heritage, present in many places in this country - recalls Fr. Prof. Kalinowski. - We could not remain indifferent.