Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, survival means remaining in relationship with Christ and in community with one another, according to a delegation of Ukrainian Catholic Church leaders who gave their testimony at the New York Encounter on Feb. 14.
Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv and Father Wojciech Stasiewicz, director of Caritas-Spes of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhia Diocese, shared how they have approached survival throughout the four-year conflict that has ravaged their communities.
The bishop and priest spoke during a panel moderated by Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio.
This year’s New York Encounter is centered on the theme “Where Everything Is Waiting for You,” focusing on “the reemerging human desire for authentic belonging amid global isolation, emphasizing how freedom, truth, forgiveness, and dignity foster certainty and openness in true community.” The event will continue through Feb. 15.
“We can say that, thanks to God, thanks to our Faith, we have a strong foundation,” said Honcharuk, who compared the current situation in Ukraine to the Titanic. The bishop described the struggles faced by Ukrainians today, including the obliteration of power grids across the country, below-freezing temperatures, and ongoing drone and missile strikes.
“We are in the middle of a tempest of suffering and pain,” he said. “In this sense, we’re always expecting or waiting for death, but in the midst of all that, we are trying to be able to love, and to help others.”
The bishop reflected during his remarks that survival for him has been in keeping busy with the demands of his role, which extend far beyond pastoral care due to the humanitarian aid role the Church in Ukraine has assumed.
From traveling to precarious locations to preside over funeral services, to thawing frozen generators, the bishop remains occupied.
“If you were to stop and sit and look at it, and try to deepen what is happening, you wouldn’t be able to stand it. There are many instances where people lose their minds, they close in on themselves.” This, he said, “is the most terrible thing.”
Honcharuk said Christ’s love is what compels him to remain with his people, and that ultimately, having faith in God is what brings peace.
“The beginning of war is in the hearts of men,” the bishop said. “When there is no God, a person does not feel like someone. He has to prove all the time to himself and to others that he is someone. He exploits everything to show that he is someone.”
In the end, he said, a person’s encounter with God is where peace begins.
Father Stasiewicz also shared how his work with Caritas has acted as both a humanitarian hub for Ukrainians, and as a ministry of faithful presence and community throughout the war.
The priest emphasized the need to be in community, especially during conflict, otherwise “you’re carrying all this burden by yourself, and you have nobody to help you, or to sustain you.”
Papal Nuncio to the U.S. Cardinal Christophe Pierre attended the panel, which took place in the main auditorium of the Metropolitan Pavilion. The event was at maximum capacity, and attendees gave a warm standing ovation to the Ukrainian bishop and priest for several minutes.
