Kharkiv is currently facing a dramatic situation. News of Russian attacks is a daily occurrence, with drones, rockets, bombs destroying the city and causing deaths and injuries among civilians. In an attack on the “Epitsentr” supermarket at 4:00 pm last Saturday, May 25, 19 people were killed and 54 were injured in an hour and on a day that usually sees the highest foot traffic.
In the night of May 31, a Russian rocket hit a five-story residential building, killing three people and injuring 23, including a paramedic. The Russians used a “double strike tactic” – attacking for a second time while doctors, paramedics, and law enforcement were already on the scene.
Ukraine in the Heart of Francesco
In the city, which had a population of two million before the Russian invasion, only half remains, considering the approximately 500,000 refugees who have arrived in Kharkiv from the countries closest to the front line. How do people live in Kharkiv?
Are the residents leaving? How do they manage to practice their faith in the midst of this terrible situation?
These questions are addressed in an interview with Radio Vaticana-Vatican News by Monsignor Pavlo Honcharuk, Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia of the Latins. 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 the head of Catholic military chaplains 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,” confides the bishop.
Home Remains Home
“The situation in Kharkiv is becoming very critical,” he recounts, “because at the beginning of the Russian invasion, the residents did not think 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 within a couple of hours.
That’s why people fled. When the Ukrainian army pushed the Russians out of Kharkiv, people started returning from where they had escaped to, and life began to flow again.
Shops, restaurants, cafes, pizzerias, hairdressers, beauty salons started working again, and people returned because the hardest part is not leaving but being away from home, having no prospects, not understanding what awaits you, 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 are staying here,’ meaning ‘home is where the heart is’ despite everything.”
Frightening Ruins
Therefore, as Monsignor Honcharuk explains, the decision to leave again is very painful for the residents.
There are women who do not want to leave the city because their husbands are fighting on the front line near Kharkiv. “Once again, families suffer, and I think this is one of the most painful moments of this war,” adds the bishop. “The situation is very critical because our city is being bombarded with guided bombs. Some weigh two hundred and fifty kilograms, others five hundred, others one and a half tons.
When a one-and-a-half-ton bomb hits, it leaves a crater eight meters deep and thirty meters in diameter, depending on whether it is in a built-up area or just on the ground. 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 may not be found because there was a massive fire, and everything was burned. 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, because if we raise our hands, we will be destroyed. Just look at what is happening in the territories occupied by the Russians.
So we resist and thank all the people who continue to support Ukraine, who remember us. Of course, there are individuals, groups, or politicians trying to convince us to surrender. We do not want war, and this is unequivocal. Our military also say: we do not want to kill anyone; we want to protect our people and 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 is understood, what justice is, what truth is. And indeed, true freedom is only in the truth.”
The Catholics of Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, as the young bishop states, there are not many Catholics left, but he has decided 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 the priests have been informed that each person must make the decision for themselves according to the situation. I will stay in Kharkiv as long as our people are here because my presence is also necessary to help them resist.
Our presence is also helpful for volunteers, for those who provide assistance. If I have to leave the city, I will leave with the last group.”
The Strength of Faith
It is the third year of the war. In a city that seems like an open wound, amidst pain and sadness, faith, which helps to survive, changes and becomes stronger. “From the beginning of the war,” shares Bishop Pavlo, “I clearly understood that everything that exists has an end, and so does my life here on earth. Only in love does a person truly know themselves, find their dignity, find themselves.
Love has its strength and meaning only in God, in the relationship with Him, and in the intimate relationship with Him. I know who I am, and that’s why I don’t need to seek any title, any affirmation from outside.
On the other hand, I see how much tragedy empty hearts without God bring, hearts that cannot be soothed: they are unhappy, want to feel important. These hearts are driven by fear, manipulated, run away from the truth. This is what war reveals.
And at this moment, I thank God for giving me the gift of faith because His presence, the experience of God, gives me the strength to resist, to understand who I am, where I am going, and what my destination is, gives me the strength to move forward, not to remain silent.
Therefore, even when it is sometimes difficult to speak to people experiencing so much pain, when there is a feeling of helplessness, weakness, the feeling of not being able to do anything, faith gives me strength, a foundation.
Therefore, I wish 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 must ensure that our hearts are human, and they will only be when they are filled with the love of God.”
