Ukrainian priest: We are tired and losing hope

By Svitlana Dukhovitch

“As long as a person is alive, there is always hope, a desire to see things change for the better and to believe that we can make a difference.”

Speaking to Vatican News, Father Roman Ostrovskyy, vice-rector of the Greek-Catholic Seminary in Kyiv, shares his thoughts on the bubble “Non-confidential spes“, with which Pope Francis recently proclaimed the next Jubilee Year.

Father Roman is a biblical scholar, having studied biblical theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and now teaches at the seminary.

“I read the text of the bull carefully,” he said, “and I found many beautiful and interesting themes there. For example, an important passage is where the Holy Father says that the Christian life is a journey, and the goal of this journey, and also of the Jubilee Year, is the encounter with the Lord Jesus. Catholics and all Christians in Ukraine feel this protective presence of Jesus.

“However,” he said, “on the other hand, we are all seeing a tremendous growth in discouragement. We are in the third year of war and people feel it deeply: they are tired, they lose hope that things here can change for the better, that our voices will be heard. »

Father Roman Ostrovskyy

The young priest says that when full-scale war broke out in his country, there was a lot of fear and confusion about what was happening. “But,” he emphasizes, “there was hope because Ukraine was defending itself strongly; something was happening.”

However, today, with the war continuing and the resulting suffering and uncertainty, many people are falling into despair.

“It is really difficult for us to think about tomorrow,” says Father Ronan. “In Ukraine, it is unrealistic to plan more than a week in advance. Air raid sirens sound, adults and children hide in shelters… Everyone is waiting for what is going to happen, what piece of land is going to be taken away And the worst thing is that we cannot oppose it alone Sometimes it feels like we are being watched like a video game, where it is interesting to. do it. see what happens, but no one wants to fully participate and help people who need simple assistance and basically just stop the abuser.

Lying for the sake of a child

When asked what helps people survive in these conditions, Father Roman responds: “Each of us tries to preserve the fundamental aspects of our lives. Certainly, faith helps a lot; prayer heals and helps us move forward in the worst days, to see a little light and trust that the Lord will not abandon us.

“But,” he said, “when you meet people and families who tell you: 'We haven't told our child that his father died in the war, because he is four years old and he still writes to him letters', you understand how a family is simply forced to lie, to pretend, just to preserve the child's mental health. And there are hundreds, if not thousands, of these families. The world should react more and speak out. more because the aggression continues.

Life under the bombs

The vice-rector of the Greek-Catholic seminary notes that many of the initiatives that could be organized during the Holy Year cannot succeed in Ukraine. Pilgrimage, for example, was one of the most popular practices among Christians in the country.

“Whenever we plan something,” explains Father Ronan, “we have to consider the fact that bombs could fall on us. It is always necessary to have some sort of shelter nearby to escape and hide . All normal activities are now called into question.

Father Roman shares further thoughts on aspects mentioned in the Pope's Bull which he believes are very important, such as motherhood and fatherhood. In Ukraine, even these people face a struggle: “Many mothers with children had to leave the country, fathers stayed behind, some are fighting at the front. And unfortunately, we already have many examples of families dissolving because wives stay abroad and men cannot leave, creating enormous tensions that affect many families. »

Pessimism for tomorrow

The Jubilee Year is also a time to help the disadvantaged feel God's mercy. Unfortunately, the war, which has lasted two and a half years, prevents this from happening: poverty is increasing, hospitals are systematically hit by Russian missiles, the number of refugees and migrants is increasing and the elderly are left alone.

“This invasion means that the very dignity of the human being is simply violated to the lowest level. When we see bombs falling on a hospital or a nursery and there is no reaction,” concludes Father Roman, “this really takes away all hope.” and makes us look at tomorrow with a lot of pessimism.”