Catholic News Service

The church’s charitable outreach to people fleeing war, political instability, poverty and other threats is a requirement for followers of Jesus, the Administrative Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a March 17 statement.

In response to more than 2 million refugees, primarily women and children, fleeing the conflict in Ukraine in recent weeks, the president and CEO of Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services said it is “alarming to see the scale of the suffering” in the region.

The head of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine challenged the international community to “take action so that Russia immediately stops the barbaric ruination of Ukrainian cities, villages and their population.”

Amid ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine, Catholic and other faith leaders and parishioners across the United States have been gathering to pray for peace.