Monsignor Pavlo Honcharuk shares the horrors of a city under constant Russian bombardment. As the head of military chaplains for the Roman Catholic Church in his country, he presented Pope Francis with the chaplain’s badge: “Ukraine is in his heart.”
By: Svitlana Dukhovich – Vatican City
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Kharkiv is experiencing a dramatic situation. News of Russian attacks is a daily occurrence, with drones, rockets, and bombs destroying the city, resulting in civilian casualties. In an attack on the “Epitsentr” supermarket at 4:00 PM last Saturday, May 25th, 19 people were killed and 54 were injured. On the night of May 31st, a Russian rocket hit a five-story building, killing three people and injuring 23, including a paramedic, because the Russians once again used a “tactic of
In a city that previously had two million inhabitants before the Russian invasion, now only half remain, considering the approximate 500,000 refugees who have arrived in Kharkiv from countries near the front line. How do people live in Kharkiv? Are residents leaving? How is it possible to practice one’s faith in the midst of this terrible situation? Monsignor Pavlo Honcharuk, bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia of the Latins, answers these questions in an interview with Vatican Radio-Vatican News. Last Wednesday, during the general audience, the bishop had the opportunity to greet Pope Francis, thanking him for his prayers and support for the Ukrainian people. As head of military chaplains for the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, he presented the Pontiff with the chaplain’s badge. “There was a moment of great warmth. The Pope’s face showed an expression of involvement. It was clear that Ukraine is in his heart,” the bishop confides.
Home remains home
“The situation in Kharkiv is becoming very critical,” he says, “because at the beginning of the Russian invasion, residents didn’t think too much about whether to leave the city or not; many simply left because they saw the danger, which was much greater then: Russian troops were already on the outskirts of Kharkiv, and there was a strong risk that the city could be surrounded in a couple of hours. So, people fled. When the Ukrainian army pushed the Russians out of Kharkiv, individuals started returning from where they had fled, and life began to flow again. Shops, restaurants, cafes, pizzerias, hair salons, and beauty salons started working again, and people returned because actually, the hardest thing is not leaving but being away from home, having no prospects, not understanding what lies ahead, depending on someone else, and living in someone else’s apartment. Even those who were abroad had difficulty adjusting to a different reality; when they returned, they said, ‘Whatever happens, we stay here,’ meaning that despite everything, ‘home remains home’.”
Terrifying ruins
Therefore, as Monsignor Honcharuk explains, the decision to leave again is so painful for residents. There are women who don’t want to leave the city because their husbands are fighting on the front near Kharkhiv. “Once again, families suffer, and it seems to me that this is one of the most painful moments of this war,” the bishop adds. “The situation is very critical because our city is being bombed with guided bombs. Some weigh two hundred and fifty kilograms, others five hundred, others a ton and a half. When a one-and-a-half-ton bomb arrives, it leaves a crater eight meters deep and thirty meters in diameter, depending on whether it hits a built-up area or just land. That’s why the ruins are terrifying. And the latest tragedy is very strong: it was a large supermarket where many people were killed. Many of them probably won’t be found because there was a huge fire, and everything burned. Here, Kharkiv experiences these terrible moments of shock every day. The situation is very difficult, there is also a lot of fatigue, but we try to resist; no one intends to give up, also because we see what is happening in the territories occupied by the Russians. Therefore, we resist and thank all those who continue to support Ukraine, who remember us. Of course, there are individuals, groups, or politicians trying to convince us to surrender, to give up. We don’t want war, and this is unequivocal. Our military also say it: we don’t want to kill anyone; we want to protect our people, and we want to live because it is our right to live. We want to live in a free and independent country, not as slaves. We defend our homeland with great perseverance and are very grateful to all those who support us in this. Because this shows that the sense of freedom is understood, that human dignity, justice, and truth are understood. Indeed, true freedom is only in the truth.”
Catholics in Kharkiv
As the young bishop states, there are not many Catholics left in Kharkiv, but he has chosen to stay in the city. “Regarding our parishioners, if they have the opportunity to go somewhere, I encourage them to leave if it becomes very dangerous. Even priests have been informed that each must make the decision for themselves based on the situation. I will stay in Kharkiv as long as our people are there because my presence is necessary to help them resist. Our presence is also useful for volunteers, for rescuers. If I have to leave the city, I will leave with the last group.”
The strength of faith
This is the third year of war. In the city that seems like an open wound, amid pain and sadness, faith, which helps to survive, changes and becomes stronger. “From the beginning of the war,” Monsignor Pavlo shares, “I understood clearly that everything that exists has an end, and even my life here on earth has an end. Only in love does a person know who they truly are, finds their dignity, finds themselves. Love has its strength and meaning exclusively in God, in the relationship with Him and in the intimate connection with Him. I know who I am, and that’s why I don’t need to seek any title, any external affirmation. On the other hand, I see how much tragedy empty hearts without God bring, hearts that cannot be calmed: they are unhappy, they want to feel important. These hearts are guided by fear, they are manipulated, they run from the truth. War reveals this reality. In this moment, I thank God for giving me the gift of faith because His presence, that is, the experience of God, gives me the strength to resist, to understand who I am, where I am going, and what my goal is, it gives me the strength to move forward, to not be silent. So, even when it is sometimes difficult to speak with people experiencing so much pain, when there is a sense of helplessness, weakness, a feeling of being unable to do anything, faith gives me strength, a foundation. Therefore, I wish for everyone to experience God and to find themselves in Him because this makes us strong. Because if we want our world to be human, we have to ensure our hearts are human, and they will be only when filled with the love of God.”
