A bishop from western Ukraine tells ACN about his struggle to help the 400,000 people who have poured into his region since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.
The Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, with a population of one million people, has hosted 400,000 internally displaced persons from other parts of Ukraine and the Mukachevo diocese is helping them in response.
Diocesan buildings have become places of reception, and “almost half of the Catholic families in the region have housed internally displaced persons in their own homes,” Bishop Mykola Petro Luchok told Aid to the Church in Suffering (ACN). .
The diocese also supports local organizations that offer trauma counseling to people affected by the war, including soldiers returning from the front lines and the families of those who died in combat, said the auxiliary bishop and apostolic administrator of Mukachevo. He added: “ACN will provide funding to help us offer psychological and therapeutic courses to mental health professionals, so they can care for those who return with deep mental wounds in the future.”
Last winter, when the region lost power following airstrikes on thermal and hydroelectric power plants, ACN also provided battery-powered generators and energy storage systems to help people stay warm.
Many of those who seek refuge in the region are families with children, so the diocese has organized “summer camps in the mountains and other natural environments, with creative activities for displaced children” and “events for displaced families to strengthen and renew your spirit,” said the bishop.
He highlighted the psychological and economic cost that the war has inflicted on both the internally displaced and the local population, many of whom have lost all means of supporting themselves and their families. As a result, he said, “a lot of people have left Zakarpattia. Many of those who run the region and our diocese have also left. For this reason, one of the challenges has been to completely reorganize daily operations”.
Bishop Luchok makes regular pastoral tours of the diocese, and wherever he goes people tell him “how much the war has hurt them in various ways.” He says: “One aspect of the hardships is that there is no end in sight. People are mentally fatigued. There are also those who have been physically injured in the war.”
He said that in these difficult times, “we must not think about how things were before and why our suffering has not ended.” Instead, “we should immerse ourselves in prayer and reflect on the meaning and power of Calvary. We should not focus on what we have lost, but instead focus on carrying our crosses and finding ways to help others. Life is easier when we don’t think about our own suffering, but about how we can help other people.”
Bishop Luchok concluded: “We are very grateful to ACN for all the help we have received. We hope to continue receiving support, because the war continues and has caused many losses in our lives.”
—Amy Blog
2023-08-09 00:32:50
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