Pavlo Honcharuk
Pavlo Honcharuk | |
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| Diocesan Bishop of Ukrainian SSR | |
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Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk (
Life
Bishop Honcharuk was born in the Roman Catholic family of Bronislav and Mariya Honcharuk with 13 children (he is the fifth) in the
After his ordination Fr. Honcharuk worked as assistant priest at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in
He also served as the diocesan bursar in his native diocese and since 2003 until 2020 he was Director of the diocesan Caritas. In addition, he exercised the office of Defender of the Bond at the Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court from 2005 to 2016, the year in which he was appointed Judge of the same Court. In addition to these offices, he also was a military chaplain.[1]
On 20 January 2020 he was appointed by the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
As bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, Bishop Honcharuk found his diocese directly affected by the
The bishop documented attacks on Kharkiv,[5] showing that despite Russian claims, civilian buildings were being targeted and destroyed, and stating, in an interview in August 2022 "If anyone is still stuck in the fantasy that Russia is only bombing military facilities, they are not only mistaken, but they are also badly deluded. Hospitals, businesses, schools, universities, kindergartens and homes have been destroyed. What is the purpose of shooting at residential buildings and at markets? They also destroy villages; some are simply razed to the ground. What is the purpose of doing this?"[6] He also participated in food distributions and visited wounded civilians in the company of Bishop Mytrofan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.[7] The war actually improved ecumenical relations, and the Orthodox bishop found refuge in the Catholic cathedral when his own residence was exposed to attacks. "When he came to visit, we invited him to stay with us, and he lived with us in the curia for almost four months. We travelled together, visited the sick in the hospital, people in the subway when it functioned as a shelter, and so on, he in his bishop's clothes and I in mine."[8]
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, he showed concern for the lasting effects of the war on children. "I see a lot of trauma in people, in their eyes, their faces. The children especially will suffer the consequences later. There will certainly be psychiatric illnesses after the war. We will have our work cut out."[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Єпископом Харківсько-Запорізької дієцезії стане відомий капелан". Credo.pro (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Father Pavlo Honcharuk". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ ACN (2022-02-28). "Bishop of Kharkiv to ACN: "God bless you! My message is short because we are under constant bombardment."". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "Ukraine: "As long as there are believers in Kharkiv, I will remain with them", says bishop". ACN International. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-05-02). "Ukraine: "As long as there are believers in Kharkiv, I will remain with them", says bishop". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-08-26). "6 months of war in Ukraine". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-03-03). "Kharkiv: Bishop documents attacks on residential buildings, as the work of the Church continues". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "6 months of war in Ukraine". ACN International. 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-03-17). "Catholic Bishop of Kharkiv: "I see a lot of trauma in people, in their eyes, their faces"". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
See also
- Catholicism portal
Ukraine portal
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