SW News: In expressing gratitude for their efforts, Pope Francis referred to the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) members as concrete evidence of peace in a country suffering from war.

The Pope praised the cooperation of the member organizations when he spoke to a UCCRO delegation on Wednesday before the General Audience. He noted that they support those in need, protect the rights of the faithful of all denominations, and promote the observance of human rights.

More than 90% of all religious organizations in Ukraine are represented by the UCCRO, which was founded in 1996 and has representatives from 15 churches and religious organizations as well as 1 interchurch organization.

The Holy Father defended interfaith cooperation by stating that he saw it as "a grace from God that all these projects be determined and carried out jointly, as brothers."

The interdenominational reality represented by the delegation, according to Pope Francis, is able to fully engage in national life while attempting to address social challenges through various interventions in public and other activities that "in recent times are necessarily linked to the dramatic current situation."

In his closing remarks, Pope Francis assured the audience that he prays daily for world peace and for the beloved Ukrainian people. Meanwhile, the Central European University (CEU) has established an "Invisible University for Ukraine" in Budapest, Hungary, in response to Russia's ongoing invasion. Students displaced by the civil war are among those who are enrolled here. The course began online and quickly evolved into the "Invisible University." The name might also be interpreted as a reference to clandestine university projects in Eastern Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, organizers quickly learned. But now, junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students from Ukraine can study in person at the campus of the CEU in Budapest.