Well over a million refugees have crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland since the Russian invasion began three weeks ago.
The Catholic Church in Poland is among those stepping up to welcome and care for for them and is encouraging all Poles to do the same.
Poles as one are responding with open arms.
The result: every town in Poland has Ukrainian refugees.
Extraordinarily, despite the million-plus refugees, there is not one refugee camp in the country.
The Poles have seen to it that there’s no need. They’re housing them themselves.
Right from the moment the refugees enter Poland they are welcomed with a greeting from the Border Patrol: “You are safe now.”
One refugee describes her journey to Poland saying: “It was scary – there were planes flying over our heads. Some of our friends had to stop on the way because there was a shooting in the fields.”
Then she crossed the border. “Here in Poland, I really felt what fraternity is” she says.
Bishop Andrzej Jeż of Tarnów is one of those hosting a growing number of people.
Last Friday he had a family of four, then on Saturday another family arrived.
Kraków hotelier Jerzy Donimirski is also hosting refugees. A Catholic and member of the Order of Malta, he has 45 living in his 4-star hotel.
Besides hosting refugees, the Church is helping in other ways.
Dominican Sisters from central Poland, for instance, are officially running a humanitarian corridor with trucks moving regularly between Poland and Ukraine, where their sisters serve near L’viv.
“We load trucks of food and supplies, and a minivan always accompanies them – it has several seats. They never go back [from L’viv] empty. We take those that want to flee,” one says.
While Poland has opened its doors to those fleeing Ukraine, a constant influx of refugees may become challenging soon.
“It is only the beginning,” says Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko, head of the Council for Migration of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
“Poland needs to work immediately with migration experts from other countries because, with what we still see in Ukraine regarding war devastation, we need to be ready for many more refugees.”
Donimirski agrees. Hosting 45 people isn’t easy, even for a hotel owner.
He’s had to ask for help to feed them.
“But we need systemic help and for sure, after a month, we will have to think of relocating those families to apartments and more permanent places of stay so that they can integrate fully.”
Despite the warm welcome, Ukrainian families would rather be at home – if their homes haven’t been destroyed in the meantime.
“One day you just wake up and the life you had to this moment is gone,” one woman says.
“And then you realise the most precious thing you have is the people you love and can take with you.”
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