The Salesians are also taking action for refugees from Ukraine. The great Forlì solidarity competition in favor of the populations fleeing the war that bloodied Eastern Europe, acquires new players. Always attentive to “brothers” in difficulty, especially if they are minors and young people, even the emuls of Forlì of San Giovanni Bosco are organizing themselves to welcome Ukrainian refugees. Called to Forlì in 1942, in the midst of the world conflict, by the then bishop Monsignor Giuseppe Rolla, to take over the local oratory dedicated to St. in Italy.
The “Orselli” Institute manages a boarding school that can accommodate 65 students from the “F. Baracca “and 40 university students, the” San Luigi “multimedia room always updated with all the technological discoveries and full of initiatives, a youth oratory and finally the Cnos-Fap professional training center, born in 1954 and able to start work thousands of young people from all over the province. Since September, the university boarding school in via Episcopio Vecchio has hosted Nadia, a young Ukrainian enrolled in the faculty of medicine.
“She came here – says the director of the Salesian Work of Forlì, Fr Piergiorgio Placci – when there was still no talk of war. You have a sister who attends the University of Padua ”. A few days ago, the student, who speaks perfect Italian, asked to meet the priest, communicating her desire to bring her mother and aunt to Forlì from Ukraine. “The two women – continues the Salesian – live in a central area of the country hitherto spared from the war. However, given the moment, we agreed to reunite ”. A cousin of the girl also arrived with her aunt: the idea is that they stay in Forlì for a month, waiting to understand how the situation evolves.
Nadia’s father remained at home: “As long as they can, men remain to guard their homes and businesses, letting women and children go to safer places”. In addition to the welcome already underway, the Forlì Salesians are taking action for a wider and more structured hospitality. “We were contacted by the Civil Protection of Bologna – explains Don Placci – with the request for beds for groups of refugees. We could give hospitality in the summer, when most of the students housed in the Itaer boarding school will have returned to their respective homes at the end of the school year “. The Salesian Rector believes he can free up a certain number of rooms, to then accommodate up to thirty people, mostly women and children. “There is still nothing organized, in Bologna they ask for hospitality for at least a month”. The Ukrainian people are very attached to their land: now they are forced to flee war and violence, but in their hearts they hope to be able to return as soon as possible.
Fr Piergiorgio communicates that the Salesians are involved in helping refugees not only in Forlì and in many other Italian realities, but in Ukraine itself: in the great country of Eastern Europe, Don Bosco’s emulators are, in fact, present in the various large cities of the country. Suffice it to mention Kiev, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Odessa, as well as in Korostyshiv, Peremyshlany and Bibrka. “In the current reality that Ukraine is experiencing – reads the Salesian Info Agency – our confreres do everything possible for young people and the needy population, they describe the situation they see with their eyes and raise their prayers to God, together with requests for solidarity and help from the international community ”.