Antonio, how did you feel when the Lviv station was bombed moments after your train had passed there?

I was actually sleeping, in the train bunk, and I was woken up by flashes and the sound of gunfire and explosions. In the first few minutes I was very scared, and I must say that sharing it with the other volunteers helped me a lot.

I immediately felt guilty towards my loved ones.
It was only after a while that I calmed down, relying on the reassurance of the train staff – a girl, who was also frightened, however, and who was trying to calm us down, along with a Ukrainian passenger.

So I thought about the fact that we were in Lviv, i.e. in an area that on paper is much less dangerous than Kharkiv, from which we were coming and which is a few kilometres from the front. I realised even more how absurd these indiscriminate attacks are.

You came from Kharkiv, therefore. How did the citizens of Kharkiv react to your presence?

Initially, they gave me the impression that they looked at us with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Once they got in touch and got to know each other, they were actually happy with our presence, which they saw as a pure act of human solidarity: smiles, sharing, and glances of understanding.
One of them, with a past as a pilot, was delighted that we were from Italy, telling me that he had flown over our country many times.

They thanked us, offered us drinks and food (they wanted absolutely no money in return, they were on the verge of offence). With some devout ladies from the town, who were making yellow-blue rosaries for the soldiers at the front, we hugged each other for a long time, shouting “Slava Ukraïni!”

I think that in addition to tangible, physical help, we gave them the impression that we did not leave them alone, which in my opinion is crucial in that context.

There were 110 of you. Did you all do the same activity or did you split into several groups?

We had thematic groups: that of administrators and mayors, that of sports federations, that of universities… and each of these in Ukraine has its own partnerships and its own projects.

We were together, however, when we arrived in the centre of Kharkiv near the cathedral, half of which has been rebuilt after the fighting in recent years, in the midst of citizens who had lost everything and were queuing for humanitarian aid, sorting food parcels, giving each other clothes…

Your mission was mostly composed of Catholic associations. Did you happen to reflect on how Ukrainians experience religiosity in these hard years?

Two things struck me. First, we attended several celebrations where people seemed very emotionally involved. I could see them and they gave me the feeling that their faith helped them to cultivate a great sense of hope.

Then there is an aspect concerning the priestly body. From the Ukrainian clerics came words of absolute clarity: without turning around too much and with practical sense they spoke of the need to resort to arms in order to defend themselves.
They had well in mind the conceptual difference that exists between non-violence and pacifism. With equal clarity they spoke of the difference between good and evil, without conceding anything to any cultural relativism.
Personally, coming from Italy, I am not used to seeing Churchmen speaking so clearly, and this surprised me in a positive way.