Ukraine: 'We fear silence' says bishop dealing with traumatising war noise

Psychological training for priests and sisters

Source: ACN

A Ukrainian bishop says the constant noise of drones and rockets above their heads is traumatising all who hear it.

Roman Catholic Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the buzz of drones is so constant that silence is what fears people the most.

He said: "There are permanently drones and rockets and we hear them above our heads, every day. The worst are the fibre-optic drones, they have a range of 50 kilometres (31 miles), and they shoot everything that moves and lives. We live in tension.

"The biggest danger for us is the silence. When there is a silence, we don't know what will happen."

Bishop Honcharuk told ACN the war that followed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has deeply affected everyone in the country, particularly those living close to, or on the front line.

He added: "We know we have to do everything to survive. To live, not to die. We have so much pain in us, but we know we have to live. And this is our life. We live from one day to the other. Sometimes when we meet each other, we ask: 'How are you?' and the reply is just: 'I'm still alive.' And that is good."

He said trauma is widespread among soldiers and civilians and that ACN has become like "a hand of God".

The charity has supported them with a course about learning to live with trauma and healing psychological wounds, which he said had become a very special part of his ministry.

Bishop Honcharuk added: "We have military chaplains who work with the soldiers, and we see that when they come back to their families they are completely changed, and this also affects the rest of the family.

"When we speak about people who lost their homes or their belongings, that is also a kind of trauma, and also prisoners of war who return, they carry a different kind of trauma and pain. It's very complex. It's very important to listen to the people and to try to help everyone in a different way.

"Even I, as the bishop, and the other priests and sisters, we all receive permanent psychological formation. This is very important because with it we can help to avoid psychological problems with the people, tensions and problems within the families, violence and even suicide, which is also a big problem."

ACN's support for the Catholic Churches in Ukraine increased following the invasion in February 2022.

Help has included generators as electrical grids are a military target.

ACN assistance also includes subsistence for priests and Sisters serving small parishes and vehicles to reach outlying communities.

The bishop said: "We know we can trust and count on ACN, and that is really very important for us. When we need help, we call and ACN responds immediately. I would like to thank all of the benefactors for their prayers, for their solidarity and for their financial support.

"ACN is a hand of God, helping us get through our daily life. Thank you. You are with us, and through you God helps us."

With thanks to Filipe d'Avillez

LINK

Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org