Svitlana Dukhovych – Vatican
Four out of ten children live in poverty
Four years of pain, death, and destruction. An anniversary marked by the worst winter of the entire war: without electricity, without heating, without medicines even for the common flu. At a time when peace negotiations are stuck in a cruel impasse, Ukraine faces a tragic humanitarian situation.
Approximately 2.5 million children – UNICEF explains – “are increasingly at risk, trapped or displaced within the country, fleeing, or as refugees in host countries. Victims of violence and destruction, trauma and severe losses, they have been deprived of their childhood: one in three children is displaced within the country or is a refugee abroad, one in four teenagers loses hope for the future in Ukraine, four out of ten children live in poverty, which has increased by 70 percent compared to 2021″.
“We experienced an extremely dramatic moment when the Russians bombed the energy infrastructure and, in practice, in our areas there was no light for over 20 hours a day. Lack of light also means lack of heating, water, and other means of livelihood,” reports Bishop Riabucha.
Immense help from the Church, including Caritas
Answering the question of how to provide humanitarian aid to people, the bishop on the front line replies that “the universality of the Church allows us to have many friends who – although outside our reality – remain close to us in heart, thought, prayer, and also with concrete help. Various organizations help us, for example, to buy fuel for generators. At various times, we have had friends who supplied generators to all our parishes and to the communities we care for”.
The bishop also emphasizes the immense help from Caritas. He adds that in his Donetsk exarchate (the equivalent of a diocese), “seven large Caritas centers operate, offering help in various cities and villages. This is great support for people, and we are very grateful to all benefactors who, through various structures, strive to be close to the Ukrainian people experiencing difficult times”. He adds that medicines sent are also a form of aid.
Pastoral care during bombings
Describing pastoral care during the war, the Bishop of Donetsk reports that priests and faithful “strive to be people of active prayer, closeness, and fraternity. Sunday prayers and daily Holy Masses are celebrated regularly where the situation allows, although with the shifting front lines, we unfortunately lose some parishes. However, where possible, people continue to pray. Catechesis is conducted for children, youth, and families; community meetings are held, such as Mothers in Prayer or Knights of Columbus. We also organize formation for animators and altar servers who assist priests in the parishes of the Donetsk Exarchate”.
It was supposed to be a dead zone in 2023, but the city still stands
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war, the Bishop of Donetsk confesses: “I am moved by the awareness that God does not abandon His people. Evil manifests itself with great force, and the sin that allows evil to act through human life is very powerful. I think of Zaporizhzhia: already in October 2023, many said that ‘tomorrow or the day after tomorrow the Russians will raze the entire city to the ground, you will be gone, it will become a dead zone’. Meanwhile, it is February 2026, and the life of the city continues,” he says.
Prayer for the conversion of those pressing bomb buttons
“I believe that nothing will stop God from converting the human heart. All our prayers are directed towards this, because the conversion of man brings life and peace. Sometimes I think that few believe that God has the power to overcome this evil. And yet, the dream and hope of victory over evil are stronger than all the fears and fatigue we experience”.
The bishop also appealed “for support and for showing us fraternity in this constant prayer for the conversion of the human heart. So that those who kill life, who press buttons for bombs to bring death to the innocent, stop doing so; so that the eyes of all open to life, and hearts – to God”.
