‘Challenges continue’ for Ukrainian refugees in London after four years of war

‘We all need to make sure that we’re families that have peace in our homes, because we can’t expect our leaders to find ways of peace and cooperation if they haven’t come from homes that have peace as a priority.’

An interfaith prayer service for peace was held at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in London to mark the fourth-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The service, which was held without electric lighting in solidarity with those in Ukraine who have had to face the freezing winter months with daily power outages due to Russia’s destruction of the country’s energy infrastructure, began with two minutes of silence to remember those who have lost their lives defending Ukraine and all innocent victims of war.

Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London said those who fled Ukraine after the invasion still suffered hardship four years later.

“Normally, when you emigrate somewhere, you anticipate, you prepare, you research where you’re going. But in the case of these almost 300,000 people, they left because their home was destroyed, and they left often without anything except the clothes on their back,” he told The Tablet.

“Four years after the start of the invasion, their challenges continue – for example, for young women who have come over with dependent children, whose husbands are still in Ukraine defending the country, so they’re having to raise their children almost on their own. They’re constantly aware of the suffering back home, but simultaneously exiled from their loved ones.

“They face being away from family and friends, being uncertain what the future is, asking themselves can we go back? What if we don’t have a home to go back to, or an employment place? What do we have to go back to?”

In the service, religious leaders from different faith traditions, including the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Judaism, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England, the Armenian Church, the Assyrian Church of the East and others, offered prayers for all those suffering and grieving in the war and paid tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

Bishop James Curry, an auxiliary in the Diocese of Westminster, began with prayers for all those who have lost their home or their place of employment, and was followed by Rabbi Dr Helen Freeman of the West London Synagogue, who prayed for reconciliation for the stolen children of Ukraine and their families.

The Anglican Bishop of Worcester Hugh Nelson gave thanks for “those who hear Lord Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger, especially those who have opened their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the horror of war, giving food, shelter, and comfort to the bereaved, the anxious and the unsettled”.

He prayed: “Let their compassion be accompanied by faith to resist evil, hope for reconciliation, and perfect love that trusts without fear. May hospitality nurture friendship, and a renewed commitment to peace across the nations, for the common good and the glory of your name.”

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of the New North London Synagogue prayed: “God who loves like us to live with justice, mercy, and peace, aim this prayer at the hard hearts of those who use their power to kill and wound and dispossess, to make cities and landscapes desolate, to drive families from their homes and divide millions from those they love.

“May this prayer detonate in their hearts. Make their hearts then be exposed, raw and defenceless, to the suffering of those to whom they have brought cold, loneliness, exile, and grief. May their eyes see and their minds comprehend the devastation they have wrought and the destruction they have sown, like landmines across the future, by unjust, pointless, merciless war.”

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Nikitas prayed for courage for chaplains and clergy in the zones of conflict, and Protopresbyter Bohdan Matwijczuk of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Great Britain lamented “1462 centuries of Russian oppression”, and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who have laid down their lives defending Ukraine.

General Secretary of Churches Together in England, Bishop Mike Royal, said, “Today, we stand in solidarity, we feel the pain of the people of Ukraine. We pray for the diaspora here in the United Kingdom.

“We pray for those who are traumatised and those who have suffered bereavement. We pray for the children, some of whom are here with us today. We pray for a just and lasting peace. Let justice flow like rivers and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.”

Bishop Nowakowski told The Tablet: “We can’t talk about Ukrainian displaced people without first expressing gratitude to the British population. Four years ago, shortly after the full-scale invasion, more than 80,000 ordinary British citizens opened up their homes to sponsoring and welcoming displaced Ukrainians – not just for a weekend, but for several months, and in some cases for years.

“That first welcome made a deep impression on Ukrainians. The government continues to be very supportive of Ukrainian displaced people, whether through the NHS, education, et cetera. Ukrainians are very grateful.

“Faith communities have provided workshops, English language courses, help in finding accommodations. The faith leaders and faith communities have been absolutely fabulous in opening their communities to Ukrainians, regardless of their religious background and language.”

“Ukraine is a multifaith, multicultural society, so to have people of multiple faith backgrounds coming together to show solidarity for Ukrainians, both those who are here and those in Ukraine, is not just a symbolic but a tangible gesture.”

He concluded that all are called to work towards peace in our daily life and community: “We’re always saying that our leaders are supposed to bring about ceasefires and peace plans, et cetera, et cetera, but we all need to make sure that we’re families that have peace in our homes, promote peace in our neighbourhoods, peace in our block, because we can’t expect our leaders to find ways of peace and cooperation, if they haven’t come from homes that have peace as a priority.”

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