As Russia’s war in Ukraine leaves millions of people displaced, students at the Ukrainian Catholic University of Lviv are splitting their time between classes and humanitarian assistance for their countrymen, according to Professor Volodymyr Turchnynovskyy.
With the Russian invasion disrupting life in Ukraine in unimaginable ways, some young people are finding ways to combine studies and concrete acts of solidarity toward their war-stricken brothers and sisters.
The western city of Lviv has so far escaped much of the Russian attack, through air raid sirens sound frequently forcing residents into hiding.
In the midst of this difficult situation, the Ukrainian Catholic University of Lviv has thrown out all the stops to help internally displaced Ukrainians, some 300,000 of whom have come to the city for temporary sanctuary.
Catholic values in action
Students are volunteering their time to help their countrymen, while still finding time to follow online classes, which resumed after a two-week hiatus.
Professor Volodymyr Turchnynovskyy, the Dean of the University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, spoke to Vatican News about how the University has put its Catholic values into practice in response to the Russian invasion.
With thanks to Devin Watkins and Vatican News, where this article originally appeared.