Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia has spoken about what it is like for those fighting and living in the northeast region on the frontline of the war between Ukraine and Russia, focusing on the spiritual and psychological challenges.
He highlighted the "nightmare" that is in the souls of the young men defending their country, and the challenge to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs amid the ongoing battle.
“The young man at the front is a lone fighter. He feels very alone because there are very few people that he can tell how it’s going for him,” the bishop said.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN, Honcharuk says military chaplains are essential. He said his diocese has 46 military chaplains to deal with the pastoral care of men at the front and of their families.
He said a soldier wouldn’t confide in a psychologist because he has no trust in him, nor in his family, because he would want to protect them, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2024/07/kharkiv-bishop-says-assaults-on-ukrainian-city-almost-nonstop"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> <em>Crux</em>.
“What these men have in their souls is a nightmare. That’s why a military chaplain is so important. He listens to what men have on their souls. You often don’t know what you should say; you are simply there,” Honcharuk said.
The bishop told ACN that a quarter of his diocese is occupied by the Russians, and that currently the parishes in this area have no priests.
“Before the war in 2014 [when Russia occupied Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region], we had 70,000 believers in our diocese. Today there are only 2,500,” he said.
During such a conflict, the bishop explained, Church leaders must be there for the people, “accompanying them, carrying their burdens with them, praying with them, and serving them”.
He added: “And serving means to help them to overcome this difficult time. It’s not just about material help but also about psychological help. It‘s important that a person understands what is going on inside him so that he does not condemn himself, for with fear comes also aggression. That is normal in a war situation. Then you must speak about it,” Honcharuk said.<br><br>He described the problem of not having enough “specialists and experts” to deal with the psychological fallout of the war. He said that it is “so important” that ACN has supported the psychological formation for priests, religious and volunteers to deal with the scars – both physical and psychological – of this war. “We are very grateful for it,” he added.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, was a major target for Russian forces in the eastern Ukraine campaign during the 2022 invasion. It is less than 20 miles from the border with Russia and has remained under fire since the invasion began. Almost a quarter of the city was reported to have been destroyed by April 2024.
“We live from hour to hour,” Honcharuk said, describing how the air raid warning system in his city goes off almost non-stop. “S-300 missiles fired from the Russian side hit Kharkiv in less than 39 seconds. Because it travels so fast, the missile lands first, and then comes the air raid warning. All those who live within 70 kilometres [45 miles] of the front are the first in the Russian line of fire. In Ukraine, however, there is no safe place. The attacks can happen anywhere.”
He added: “Many people still don’t dare go outdoors. There are lots of suicides because people don’t know what’s going to happen next.
“The schools and kindergartens are closed. Many children are learning in underground stations. I know of a teacher who every day goes to a nearby place where she has Wi-Fi and, from there, gives online lessons to her students, who are now scattered across 18 countries.”
The bishop said everything in Kharkiv has been destroyed and the people have no houses or apartments.<br><br><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/ukraines-catholic-patriarch-denounces-russian-rocket-strike-on-childrens-hospital/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Ukraine’s patriarch denounces Russian rocket strike on children’s hospital</mark></a></strong>
“A 73-year-old man came to us and had nothing with him. Fortunately, he was out when the rocket hit his house. But everything is gone. We bought him clothing,” the bishop said.
Russia began a newly charged campaign in the region in early May, but has so far failed to make much process in two months, although Ukraine has suffered many casualties.
“Our mission is to proclaim Christ and His word. Prayer is the greatest weapon. Many people ask: when will the war end? There is no answer. But we mustn’t stop praying,” the bishop said.<br><br><em>Photo: Ukrainian soldiers with their weapons wait inside a US-made M113 armoured personnel carrier to depart for the front in an undisclosed area in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, 19 June 2024. (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
