In Kharkiv, one day the Gospel urged us: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Yes, but how is one to say to people who are subjected to daily violence that they are not to judge?

In Kherson, 300 yards from the Dnieper River, a shed is filled with bottles of water. Snipers and drones would kill anyone who ventured near this frontier with Russian-occupied land. In Ukraine one becomes deeply aware of the fragility of the human body, its needs, pains and joys. The St Martin Centre in Fastiv, founded by Fr Mykhailo Romaniv OP, runs a laundry and showers, as well as offering meals to people in the outlying villages. Those in war zones know the necessity of keeping clean, not just for reasons of hygiene but for morale. In Kherson, the brethren and lay volunteers serve 150,000 meals a year here, including 150 tons of cassoulet donated by France.

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