Honouring Life in the Midst of Hardship: Vatican Award for Ukrainian Pro-Life Heroine

17.04.2025

The Vatican has honoured a remarkable champion for life in war-torn Ukraine. Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, was presented with the 2025 “Guardian of Life” award by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Sister Giustina leads Perinatal Hospice – Imprint of Life, a non-profit she founded in Lviv in 2017. The hospice supports parents who receive devastating prenatal diagnoses, offering them compassion, medical guidance, and the strength to carry their child for as long as possible, no matter how short that life may be.

A bioethicist, psychologist, and biologist, Sister Giustina combines her deep faith with scientific expertise to accompany families through some of their most painful moments. At the Vatican press conference on March 3rd, she expressed that the award was not for her, but “for our children and parents,” adding: “Life is always precious – even if it is very, very small, and even if it is very short.”

Her work is a moving witness to the dignity of every human life, especially those often overlooked by a culture that too quickly deems them “unviable.” Amid the turmoil of war and crisis in Ukraine, Sister Giustina and her team continue to shine a light of hope and love.

Her story reminds us that choosing life is not always easy—but it is always beautiful.