Pope Francis left funds in his will to buy ambulances for Ukraine, nun says
Dominican nun Lucia Caram says Pope Francis, who died in April 2025, left her money in his will specifically to purchase ambulances for her humanitarian missions in Ukraine. Caram talked about the donation during an interview on the Barcelona TV program Órbita B (Betevé).
Caram, who has traveled to Ukraine more than 20 times since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, said the gesture deeply moved her. "He did tell me, in our meetings, that he would help me in some way, but I didn't imagine he would do it like this," she said, according to a news report published on Dec. 2.
The nun heads the Santa Clara Convent Foundation in the Spanish town of Manresa and has been involved in delivering medical assistance and evacuation support in front-line regions.
Although Pope Francis consistently condemned the violence of Russia’s invasion, his legacy in Ukraine was strained by several controversial remarks about the war. In 2024, he urged Ukraine to show "courage" and "raise the white flag" to negotiate with Moscow — a comment widely criticized in Kyiv.
In the same interview, Caram also spoke about her meeting with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, whom she described as reserved but direct. She recounted spending nearly an hour with him in August to discuss her work in Ukraine—far longer than many senior clergy received, she added.
Caram said Leo XIV is "a pope who speaks little, observant, cautious, and prudent," yet "when he does speak, he tells things clearly."
Pope Leo XIV — formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost — was elected to lead the Catholic Church on May 8, following the death of Pope Francis. President Volodymyr Zelensky attended his inauguration Mass on May 18, later calling the new pontiff "a symbol of hope for peace."
Their meeting focused on the return of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia and broader humanitarian concerns.
Since assuming the papacy, Pope Leo has repeatedly urged "a just and lasting peace" in Ukraine and signaled the Vatican’s readiness to host negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Zelensky has expressed support for such an initiative, while Russian officials have rejected the proposal.
