OCA announces fundraising for Ukrainian refugees in Poland
The Primate of the OCA has called on the faithful to show Christian mercy in practice and support Ukrainian displaced persons in Poland.
The Orthodox Church in America has announced the resumption of a fundraising effort to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, aiming to raise $50,000, reports the UOJ in the USA.
The charity campaign is being conducted in partnership with the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and and the Polish Orthodox Church’s humanitarian agency, ELEOS. According to the Primate of the OCA, Metropolitan Tikhon, more than a million Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly.
With the funds raised, refugees are provided with emergency financial assistance, housing, legal consultations, Polish language courses, and help with finding employment. In addition, the organization provides grants for starting small businesses and arranges vocational training, while church premises are being adapted as shelters.
Metropolitan Tikhon called on the clergy, monastics, and laity to support people in need with donations, calling practical help an expression of Christian mercy, and also urged them to pray for the granting of lasting peace.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Orthodox Church in America raised $700,000 for Ukrainians in Poland.
