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Friars in Lviv doing their best to lift spirits of refugees

Franciscan friars
Posted at 7:47 AM, Mar 21, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-21 11:15:14-04

Despite the threat of Russian airstrikes and the despair from fleeing Ukrainian refugees, a group of friars in the city of Lviv did their best to cheer people up on Sunday.

Video shows that the friars played music and served food and drink to hundreds of people gathered near Lviv's main train station. Many at the gathering ate, drank and danced to traditional music.

Lviv is located just a few dozen miles from Ukraine's border with Poland. For millions, Lviv represents a final opportunity for Ukrainians to bid farewell to their country. For others, Lviv has marked the last time many will see family members before seeking refuge in another country.

Many Ukrainians who have filed through Lviv in recent weeks have fled into Poland. According to The Associated Press, Poland has taken in more than 2 million refugees since the war broke out in late February.

President Joe Biden announced early Monday that he will stop in Poland Friday during a trip through Europe. There, he'll meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to "discuss how the United States, alongside our Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created."