One of the most important things people need is money, Fr Sikon says in an interview released to The Irish Catholic, as well as food, fuel, and medicine. Asked if he ever felt fear going out on his journeys around Ukraine, he says that he arrived in Kyiv just one day before Russia invaded. “This attack was of course very big, from seven directions. So, you can feel scared. I was in the crowd to run away to Poland. We walked 18 km then we waited 18 hours at the border to enter Poland. Later they asked me in Krakow if I could try to drive the first small truck to bring things to Ukraine and I said yes, but later you have some doubts; but on the day when I was starting, when I was going to Ukraine, we read the Gospel and Jesus said, the one who wants to save his life will lose it… This Gospel gave me strength. I went through the border a few times with our transport, with our relief help,” Fr Sikon says. He has been delivering aid to Ukraine for more than a month and a half now.
In fact, missionaries are uniquely placed to respond to humanitarian crises, and the Salesians are no exception. And another advantage missionaries have is access to “a fantastic network through the churches; they’re working with local communities to help find longer-term accommodation for people as well," says Mr. John Moffett, the CEO of Misean Cara, an organization that supports missionary congregations and volunteer organizations. “The missionaries,” he goes on, “are using all the facilities that they have available… They are providing people with help as they move out of Ukraine, as people are moving across countries and particularly in Poland, they are providing support to people who are queuing up at the border, giving out blankets, food, water.”
“The Salesian sisters,” he adds, “are providing medical aid to people who have been injured through bombings in Lviv and Odesa. The Salesians are working on both sides of the border providing shelter in their facilities, churches, and homes. They're there at reception centers in Poland to help them get access to accommodation, to provide them with a cup of tea, blankets, and clothes for all the people that are leaving everything behind as they move out.”
From the spiritual side, the faith of the Ukrainian people has gone from strength to strength despite the war, Fr Sikon believes, saying that it is growing “even though it is very hard and painful for people and we are living in the fear of losing this life, on this earth.”
About three-quarters of the population of Ukraine is Christian Orthodox while more than 10% identify as Catholic. The west of Ukraine is where Catholicism is strongest. “When Pope Francis consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary a lot of people gathered in this small parish, almost 100,000 parishioners came for this prayer,” Fr Sikon says. The consecration took place on March 25 and was led by the Pope in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
“The spiritual condition of the Ukrainians is growing, and they believe the moral justice is on the side of Ukraine. We know that Ukraine did not attack Russia; they are the ones who are being attacked by Russia, so the situation in this context is comfortable and people are strong.”
Fr Sikon states that the war in Ukraine is very much a “spiritual fight”, which is why they are fighting first and foremost with prayer. “We are praying for peace every day,” he says.
Source: The Irish Catholic
