Bishop of Ukraine Strives to Aid Thousands Escaping Conflict-Ridden Zone

A bishop in western Ukraine says he is struggling to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled to his part of the country since the start of the Russian invasion. 

Bishop Mykola Petro Luchok told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that nearly half of the Roman Catholic families living in the Zakarpattia region have taken in Ukrainians displaced by the war. 

Mukachevo Diocese, which lies within Zakarpattia, has turned some of its buildings into accommodation to provide more shelter for internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

Even though a lot of the fighting is in the east and south of Ukraine, the ongoing war has taken a considerable toll on Zakarpattia as many people have left the region, said Bishop Luchok. 

“Therefore, one of the challenges has been that we have had to completely reorganise the way everything functions on a daily basis,” he said. 

ACN has been supporting some of the diocese’s support work. Last winter it provided generators and battery energy storage systems to keep people warm when air strikes knocked out local power stations.

With additional funding from ACN, the diocese is supporting organisations providing trauma counselling for people affected by the war, including soldiers and people who have lost loved ones in the fighting. 

Bishop Luchok said that mental health support was vital to help people heal from “deep mental wounds” suffered as a result of the war. 

He has heard firsthand from people about the toll the war is taking on them during his many pastoral visits around his diocese.

“One aspect of the hardship is that there is no end in sight,” he said. 

“People are mentally fatigued. Then there are also those who have been physically injured in the war.”

He said it was important not to “dwell on how things used to be and why our suffering is not ending” but instead “immerse ourselves in prayer and reflect on the meaning and power of Calvary”.

“We should not focus on what we have lost but concentrate on carrying our crosses and on finding ways to help others,” he said. 

“Life is easier when we think not about our own suffering but rather about how we can help other people. We have to learn to serve each other according to the best of our abilities, in peace or war. We have to try not to be afraid, because fear closes our hearts to grace.”