The Rector of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin met with the mayor of Lviv and visited universities

Projects related to helping victims of the war – was the topic of the meeting of Rev. Prof. Mirosław Kalinowski, Rector of KUL with Andrij Sadowy, Mayor of Lviv. The delegation of KUL visited Ukraine on Wednesday. - ‘During the meeting with the Mayor of Lviv we offered various forms of help for the victims of the war. We talked with university rectors about cooperation and support projects for them on our part. In a similar way, we met with the National Center of Rehabilitation “Unbroken”. Since the beginning of the war we have provided help for Ukraine and for several hundred of our students, postgraduates and workers from that country as well as for their families. We will still continue relief efforts and maintain contacts with our partners in Lviv. We are aware that the needs are huge, today we are not able to predict the end of the war’, – said the Rector of the Catholic University of Lublin.

Rev. Prof. Kalinowski was accompanied by the management members of the Foundation for Development of KUL (Fundacja Rozwoju KUL). In addition to meeting with the Mayor of Lviv, encounters with university rectors were held: with prof. Volodymyr Melnyk from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and with prof. Borys Zmienkosvsky from Daniel Halicki National Medical University, as well as with the Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, Rev. dr Bogdan Prach.

Furthermore, the Rector of KUL also spoke to the Archbishop of Lviv, Rev. Mieczysław Mokrzycki, with the consul of the Republic of Poland in Lviv. Ms. Joanna Kocot and with the Director of St. Józef Bilczewski Institute of Theology, Rev. dr Jacek Uliasz.

Then, the delegation visited “Cmentarz Orląt Lwowskich” - the cemetery in Lviv , where they met with Janusz Balicki – the President of the Association for the Protection of Military Graves in Lviv. Additionally, they visited the Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Pantaleon hospital as well as the National Center of Rehabilitation “Unbroken”, where there are treated who suffer physical and mental violence during Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

After the Russian invasion on Ukraine on February 24^th, the Catholic University of Lublin launched a social, legal, psychological and pastoral assistance for Ukrainian citizens. Thanks to the involvement of the academic society in volunteering, it was possible to arrange 20 transports with gifts that reached Ukraine, as well as to prepare the accommodation for refugees, to organize the fundraising and to start the language courses that are still underway. Moreover this year’s KULturalia, took place under the banner of helping Ukraine.

Since December last year, one of the Sunday Holy Masses in the church of the Catholic University of Lublin has been celebrated in Ukrainian. The first one was celebrated by the bishop of Kiev-Żytomierz, Rev. Witalij Krywicki who also met the Ukrainian students of the Catholic University of Lublin.