Grand Commander Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau went to Poland and Ukraine from 8 to 11 November. Accompanied by representatives of Ordre de Malte France and the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Polish Association and Embassy in Ukraine, the Grand Commander was able to visit various initiatives of the Order, starting with those for refugees from the war in Ukraine and displaced people.
During one of the most moving moments of his visit to Ukraine, in the military cemetery of Lychakiv, the Grand Commander endorsed the Holy Father’s call for peace, saying: “I sincerely hope that peace will heal wounds and put an end to suffering, granting life and the possibility of creating a good society, truly inspired by Christian love and mercy, not only for Ukraine but worldwide. I had never before been in a country at war,” he continued. “I have seen what the Order of Malta is doing here together with all these individuals who still maintain hope, starting with the extremely brave young people. I am impressed because I do not see despair but determination”.
The Grand Commander brought his solidarity to the patients and staff of the children’s hospital in Lviv. The Order of Malta, through its French humanitarian aid agency (Ordre de Malte France), provides medical equipment for cardiac procedures and surgery for children who cannot be treated in war-torn Kiev. Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau also visited the Halychyna Rehabilitation Centre, a prosthetic centre providing assistance to people with disabilities injured during hostilities. Together with international partners, the Order of Malta’s Relief Service works actively to organise rehabilitation programmes and educational initiatives for people in need of help after injuries. Thanks to the support of the Order of Malta’s facilities, the centre has received a laboratory, facilities, materials and will soon start work with prostheses for the first patients. The hospital’s prosthetists have received training in Germany, which enables them to provide highly qualified assistance to patients.
Both initiatives are part of the broader humanitarian aid project set up since the war began in February 2022 by the Order of Malta through Malteser International, which has helped 4 million people. There are also psychosocial support programmes for 45,000 children and minors, as illustrated during the visit by Pavlo Titko, Head of the Order’s Ukrainian Relief Service, and Mohammed Edge Haj, Coordinator of Malteser International in Ukraine.
Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau also met with Ihor Voznyak, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, together with a delegation consisting of Cédric Chalret du Rieu, President of the Ordre de Malte France, Martin Swierad, Hospitaller of the Polish Association, its Vice President Maciej Koszutski and Board Member Andrzej Mauberg as well as Andriy Khanas, Counsellor of the Order of Malta’s Embassy in Ukraine.
The Grand Commander’s visit then continued in Poland, in Katowice, at Ośrodek Pomoc, a refuge for women and children victims of sexual, physical and psychological violence, run by the Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Recreational activities for Ukrainian refugee mothers and children were also provided here between 2022 and 2023.
In Krakow, in the Wola Justowska district, the Grand Commander brought his support to the Centre for Disabled Children, founded in 2004 by the Order of Malta’s Polish Association. It offers specialist services such as speech therapy, autism treatment, health and mental care for young patients with various types of disabilities, including central nervous system disorders. An organization that treats 800 disabled children each year together with their families, including a kindergarten for some 70 children.
