An ordinary citizen of the Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr of the RCC in Ukraine spoke about how the war affected pastoral life and what special challenges the Church faces today.
The restoration of parish life, as well as material and spiritual and psychological support for those in need, are the main challenges facing the church community of the RCC Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr in Ukraine, which in the spring of this year also became the territory of hostilities, and some of its parts were occupied for many weeks. Its head Bishop Vitaly Kryvytsky has spoken about the changes in pastoral life in an interview with Vatican Radio.
The hierarch has noted that the situation began to improve after Easter. But many pastoral practices, such as preparing children for the First Holy Communion, have been suspended. Pastors try to join forces to do what is possible. The number of people who come to churches, where they can also receive material and spiritual help, is also increasing. A particular challenge was the need to help overcome the consequences of PTSD.
Where possible, according to the bishop, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine is returning to its usual practices.
"People are coming. These are not only our parishioners who attended churches on a regular basis but also those who found shelter, overnight accommodation, and who used humanitarian aid or other assistance. I mean spiritual practices. We are all going through this difficult time and must accept and respond to the challenges and signs of this time. We need to know and respond to challenges such as post-traumatic syndrome disorder, which has affected each of us and each of us needs help. Therefore, today parishes focus on this," the Bishop said.