Bishop Jan Sobilo of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese, eastern Ukraine. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
Four years on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Catholic bishop has spoken of the daily reality of death, suffering and faith.
Jan Sobilo is the auxiliary bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese. The diocese covers Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Most of the diocese is currently held by Ukraine, however parts of the diocese are under the control of Russian forces. It is therefore very much on the front line.
In the cities currently controlled by Russian forces, no priests are available to serve the diocese. Parishes not controlled by the Russians have seen a swelling of their ranks, mainly due to people fleeing their homes.
While many around the world have been marking the four-year anniversary of the conflict, it is often forgotten that the war began well before the “full scale invasion” or “special military operation” launched in 2022. The war in the Donbass region has been going on since 2014, following a Western-supported coup against a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Sobilo said, “Nobody expected the war to start in 2014, and then the situation got much worse after the invasion in 2022.”
The bishop said that officiating at funerals, particularly of the sons claimed by the war, was the hardest thing he had had to do.
“The worst for me is to see the mothers who have lost their children. I remember one case, in particular, of a young man who was drafted soon after finishing school. He did his training, then went to the front line and died two weeks later,” he recalled.
“His body was never recovered. Seeing his mother mourn her only child in this way was heartbreaking.”
Despite the sorrow and the hardship, Bishop Sobilo said that people were holding onto their faith: “I don’t know anybody who lost their faith. An officer once told me that among all the people he knew on the front line, there are no atheists. You never know when your time will come.”
Spiritually, the Church has taken additional efforts to prepare people for death.
“Everybody has someone close who has died because of the war. You never know when your time will come,” he said.
