杏MAP导航

By Svitlana Dukhovych 

It is the fourth year of war, and the intensity of the bombings 鈥� which occur not only in Kharkiv but throughout Ukraine 鈥� is increasing.

In an interview with Vatican Media, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Latin Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, recounts, "Ballistic missiles fly, and hundreds of drones carry explosive charges.鈥� 

The Ukrainian Bishop had participated in the General Audience on Wednesday, June 18, during which 杏MAP导航 Leo XIV mentioned Ukraine鈥檚 suffering in his appeals.

The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 blessing

Shortly afterward, the Ukrainian Bishop had the opportunity for a brief conversation with the 杏MAP导航 during the customary hand-kissing. 鈥淚 felt the sense of peace and serenity that reigns in this place,鈥� he said, reflecting on his encounter with 杏MAP导航 Leo XIV.

鈥淲hen the 杏MAP导航 arrived, his very presence, his face radiated peace and calm," the Bishop shares, "That was my first impression."

"I greeted him and asked for a blessing 鈥� for myself, for the priests, the sisters, the diocese, and for all the Ukrainian people, and  he replied, 鈥業 bless you.鈥�" he continues, saying, "It was brief, but it left a deeply positive impression on my heart.鈥�

The anguish of bombings on civilians

The peace and tranquility perceived in St. Peter鈥檚 Square sharply contrast with the reality the 47-year-old Bishop left behind in Ukraine.

鈥淭he Russian army,鈥� he recounts, 鈥渋s bombing civilian homes. People often don鈥檛 expect such massive threats and don鈥檛 always have time to get to shelters. It鈥檚 very dangerous near the frontlines due to guided aerial bombs, which penetrate deeply. A crater from such a bomb can reach eight meters deep and 30 meters wide. If it hits a house, nothing remains 鈥� not the structure, nor anyone inside.鈥�

Life and death side by side

The situation in Kharkiv, just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, is dramatic.

鈥淧laygrounds where children gather, factories, farms 鈥� everything is being destroyed,鈥� Bishop Honcharuk says.

鈥淓ntire villages and towns," he laments, "have been wiped out. Even our Kharkiv is heavily damaged, though local authorities are doing all they can to clean up after the attacks. After every explosion, hundreds of homes are left without windows. If that happens during the cold season, homes become uninhabitable. Many have been displaced. People have lost everything.鈥�

A river of suffering

This river of human suffering, this flood of terrible stories, does not stop; rather, it grows, the Bishop continues.

鈥淐emeteries are expanding, with more and more Ukrainian flags marking the graves of fallen soldiers," he says, reiterating, "The pain is immense, and the suffering seems endless. We live in a situation where life and death walk side by side 鈥� there may be an explosion on one street, and children walking down the next. This is our reality.鈥�

Referring to those who have remained in Kharkiv, Bishop Honcharuk recalls data shared by the city鈥檚 mayor about a month and a half ago: of the original 2.7 million residents before the full-scale war, around 500,000 remain. To these, roughly the same number of displaced people from nearby towns and villages have been added.

Staying with the people

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia has stayed close to his people.

The priests of his diocese continue their ministry, even though the number of parishes has decreased.

鈥淓ntire towns have been destroyed, and so have the parishes. For example,鈥� he says, 鈥淧okrovsk 鈥� where we had a parish 鈥� is still under Ukrainian control, but it has been nearly wiped off the map. The parish is gone, the chapel is destroyed, there are no parishioners, and the priest had to leave because dangerous fiber-optic drones constantly fly overhead. But in general, the priests remain, supporting the people 鈥� celebrating Mass, leading prayers, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, and simply being there.鈥�

The wounded humanity of soldiers

Bishop Honcharuk notes that soldiers often come to talk with priests. Alongside the physical strain and grief for fallen comrades, they carry another heavy burden: a wounded humanity, a wounded soul 鈥� because they鈥檝e been forced to take up arms.

鈥淯krainian soldiers defend their homeland," he says, noting, "Out of love for their families and their country, they are forced to do what they would never choose to do 鈥� to take another life.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 like when you see a pot of boiling water falling on someone, and you grab it to stop it," the Bishop compares, observing, "That person doesn鈥檛 get burned 鈥� but your hands do."

"That鈥檚 how it is for our soldiers," he acknowledges, saying, "Their humanity is burned. They come to us with these spiritual wounds, seeking to talk, to be supported.鈥�

Humanitarian aid at risk

The Bishop of Kharkiv also highlights the ongoing need for humanitarian aid, which has significantly decreased.

鈥淭here鈥檚 much less now,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 also dangerous to store supplies in warehouses, because if the Russian army locates them, they target them for destruction. They do everything possible to make life unbearable, to push people into despair. In the midst of all this, the Church is present: there are priests and sisters, supported by volunteer groups."

He notes they have larger organizations like Caritas, but also smaller parish-based groups that are very effective.

"The Church," he continues, "is alive. It lives because the people are the Church 鈥� not just the priests. The Church is all of us, the baptized. And today, in Ukraine, the Church stands with the people. The Church is present in our soldiers, in our volunteers, in doctors and healthcare workers. The Church is in our parishes, in our streets.鈥�

Supporting priests with immense weight on their shoulders

A Bishop鈥檚 task, he reaffirms, is to care for his clergy, underscoring how despite the extreme conditions, this remains a priority for him.

鈥淭he priests,鈥� he emphasizes, 鈥渁re my closest collaborators. A priest knows the people, supports them, weeps with them, shares their suffering. He takes heavy blows and doesn鈥檛 always have someone to share them with."

"My role," the Bishop therefore reflects, "is to support the priests. I try to be close to them, to visit them, to pray with them. We also provide ongoing training to help them understand what happens to a person 鈥� body and mind 鈥� in wartime.

"When a priest understands what is happening inside himself and to others," then he has the tools to endure," the Bishop observes, warning, "Nothing breaks a person more than running away from a problem they don鈥檛 understand.鈥�

The cost of life and freedom

Before becoming a Bishop, then-Monsignor Honcharuk served as a military chaplain, so he is used to speaking with soldiers and he gives thanks to God for them.

After remembering seeing their exhausted faces and hearing their many hardships, the Bishop explains a certain phenomenon which tends to occur.

"But then 鈥� and this fascinates me," he marvels, "something suddenly shifts, and they say, 鈥業f not me, then who?鈥� Those words carry everything: even the awareness they may die, as many comrades have.

For example, he said, he never asks, "鈥榃here is your fellow soldier?鈥� Because he may be gone. They simply ask me to pray 鈥� and I do. I don鈥檛 even ask if it鈥檚 for the living or the dead, because it hurts too much. It鈥檚 a deep wound.鈥�

Traces of God鈥檚 love

鈥淥ur soldiers are strong people,鈥� the Bishop says, 鈥渂ecause their sacrifice for others makes them strong. They sacrifice even part of their inner peace. God did not create humans to kill. And when a person takes another鈥檚 life, that leaves a mark. This is the price of our life and our freedom. That鈥檚 why we honor our soldiers, we pray for them, for the prisoners, for those who have lost loved ones 鈥� so many families, so many children, so many orphans. 

The Bishop remembers having recently seen some videos circulating of graduation celebrations in Ukraine, in which many girls dance the waltz wearing their fallen fathers鈥� uniforms.

"It鈥檚 very moving. It tells of immense pain. But even in all this," he says, "we see traces of God鈥檚 love, His presence, and His goodness 鈥� and we keep going.鈥�

Deborah Castellano Lubov contributed to this report