Patriarchate of Constantinople announces collection of humanitarian aid for Ukraine

The Association for the Support of Greek Public Foundations (SIRKI) has announced that it is joining a large-scale humanitarian aid campaign for Ukraine organized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This initiative, carried out in cooperation with all religious minorities in Istanbul, aims to provide support to millions of Ukrainians facing a serious humanitarian crisis in the face of the destruction of energy infrastructure and extreme cold.

According to fosfanariou.gr, the call for solidarity and immediate action came from the Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul. According to the appeal, Ukraine is experiencing a real humanitarian catastrophe: its energy system has suffered catastrophic damage as a result of attacks on critical infrastructure. Amid the extremely low temperatures and frosts that have gripped the country, millions of people are forced to survive without electricity, heating and water for a long time.

In this regard, generators, boilers, heating stoves, chargers to maintain Internet connection and charge mobile phones are vital for hospitals, institutions and the population of Ukraine. These essentials will help mitigate the effects of the destruction and provide basic conditions for survival in harsh winter conditions.

As reported, the director of the International Institute of Athos Heritage, Serhiy Shumylo, said that in 2018, Phanar considered the option of granting the Tomos of autocephaly to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Moreover, Shumylo noted that Constantinople was ready for this document to be agreed with the Moscow Patriarchate. However, according to the expert, the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches rejected this proposal.