Ukraine: after 1000 days of war, “people are tired and without hope”, says priest
Despite the danger, a Brazilian missionary priest has stayed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Fr Lucas Perozzi thanks ACN for the help it keeps providing, and remains committed to spreading the Gospel.
Fr Lucas Perozzi found himself in Ukraine when Russia began its full-scale assault on the country in 2022. However, rather than escape back to his homeland, Brazil, he remained in the country and continues to serve a flock in Kyiv which, he says, is showing signs of exhaustion after over 1000 days of conflict.
“We go to sleep to the sound of sirens, and we wake up to the sound of sirens and bombings. The sirens sound non-stop. Psychologically, people are tired, very scared and without hope. Then there is also the problem of the economic crisis. Things are increasingly expensive, it is a very difficult situation”, he tells international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The effect of this state of mind is that after months of panic whenever sirens sounded, people have developed a more carefree attitude, at great personal risk. “You can’t live like this. For the first six months we used to run to the bunkers, but not anymore. When our time comes, it will come. Only God knows the hour. It could be a missile or a heart attack. God is the Lord of life. That’s reality, and we have come to accept it”, says the priest.
Fr Perozzi also found himself in a difficult situation recently, when he decided to go for a walk at night to clear his head. “I was tired, and I went out a bit to unwind before going to bed, when there was a drone attack. At the same time, the air defense kicked in and began destroying the drones, and I witnessed the whole thing. Suddenly I noticed that bits of the anti-drone missiles were falling around me, like rain. I could hear large chunks of metal shattering on the floor. I thought ‘for goodness’ sake. I have survived in this war for so long, and now I am going to die from something stupid like this?’. I ran with my hands over my head, and I managed to get home without getting hit”.
Despite the general exhaustion with the war, Fr Perozzi remains committed to his mission, even though it is increasingly difficult to carry out. “Our mission is to spread the Gospel, but it isn’t easy. People need hope, they need God, the sacred. Nothing consoles them anymore. They have given up searching. They have become apathetic, disillusioned.”
One of the few silver linings in this situation has been the help provided by ACN, which continues to support the local Catholic Church in Ukraine. “All the parishes received help to hold summer camps for children, which is very important, because they are living in a state of constant alarm. It is constant stress, and it leads to fighting among themselves. So it is important to get them out of that atmosphere. In my parish we held a camp in the mountains, where there are no air raid sirens, no missiles, and they can rest, they can play, speak to each other, and we can provide pastoral care, such as Masses and catechesis.”
Another central aspect of the Church’s mission at this time of war is the provision of trauma care, which requires specific training, that ACN is helping to provide.
“We need to be qualified to be able to work with people who were on the front line, with parents who lost their children, children who lost their parents. Anything related to trauma, which is not easy. This is a new issue for us. But we do everything with gratitude, I am happy with my mission, and ready to carry it out. As long as we are alive, we have the mission to proclaim the Gospel!”, Fr Perozzi concludes.
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