The Ukrainian Weekly, 2019
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INSIDE: l Sen. Rob Portman meets with President Zelenskyy – page 3 l Ukrainian Canadian Congress statement on D-Day – page 4 l Our community: Boston and San Francisco – page 16 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 23 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2019 $2.00 In Brussels, Zelenskyy underscores Ukraine’s Gudziak enthroned as seventh metropolitan course toward NATO and the European Union of Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S. He met with European Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission’s vice-president for the euro and social dialogue. While the politically untested president underlined Kyiv’s steadfast endeavor to join the EU and NATO while remaining committed to its debt obligations to foreign creditors, his counterparts urged Ukraine to continue reforms aimed at combating graft and bolstering the rule of law. Noting that a wide range of issues was discussed with Mr. Juncker, including the EU’s consistent support of Ukraine’s “sover- eignty and territorial integrity,” Mr. Zelenskyy said that peace in the Russo- Ukrainian war can only be achieved through Presidential Administration of Ukraine dialogue. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) “Our goal remains unchanged – the lib- shakes hands with Jens Stoltenberg, sec- eration of the Donbas exclusively through retary of the North Atlantic Treaty Illya Labunka political and diplomatic channels,” Mr. The newly enthroned Metropolitan-Archbishop Borys Gudziak addresses his flock Organization, in Brussels on June 4 dur- Zelenskyy said, while urging the EU to keep ing his first foreign trip abroad as during the hierarchical divine liturgy and the rite of enthronement. existing sanctions towards Russia for war- Ukraine’s head of state. mongering in Ukraine as well as intensify- by Myroslawa Mazurok Hill Bishop Borys, 58, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., was recommended by the Synod of by Mark Raczkiewycz ing them. Special to The Ukrainian Weekly More than 13,000 Ukrainians have been Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in September KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy killed since Moscow invaded Ukraine in PHILADELPHIA – Over 2,500 people 2018, and appointed as metropolitan and emphasized Ukraine’s unswerving course February 2014. At least 51 soldiers have gathered inside the Cathedral of the archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic towards further integration with the been killed this year through May, accord- Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, June 4, Archeparchy of Philadelphia by Pope Francis European Union (EU) and North Atlantic ing to The Ukrainian Weekly’s count based awaiting with much anticipation the on February 18 to officially take canonical Treaty Alliance (NATO) during his debut on data from the Joint Forces Operation. enthronement of the seventh Ukrainian possession of the archeparchy on June 4. foreign trip as the country’s leader to the Catholic metropolitan-archbishop of the Belgian capital of Brussels on June 4-5. (Continued on page 15) United States, the Most Rev. Borys Gudziak. (Continued on page 9) Iconic statue at Winnipeg’s Ukrainian Catholic cathedral is desecrated by Christopher Guly Volodymyr], we might still be pagan today. However, Winnipeg police appear to be Special to The Ukrainian Weekly So it is a big deal, which is why we didn’t investigating the decapitation of the St. just get people from the cathedral respond- Volodymyr statue as vandalism and theft. OTTAWA – Although their motive and ing, but the whole Ukrainian Canadian The search for the perpetrators is ongo- role remain unclear, a few teenagers spotted community too,” she commented. ing after the statue’s head was recovered in the middle of the night leaving the crime In a statement, the Ukrainian Canadian near the cathedral and returned in a black scene as the likely suspects could not have Congress (UCC) said it was “appalled by the knapsack on May 25. chosen a more precious Ukrainian Catholic disgraceful desecration of the monument,” “Two men working on construction in monument to vandalize last month. noting that St. Volodymyr brought the area found it” at a low-rental apartment On the morning of May 21, the bronze Christianity to Ukraine in 988. complex, according to Ms. Katchanovski. statue of St. Volodymyr the Great located “We hope that this is not yet another Nicholas Chubenko, a retired geriatric adjacent to the Ukrainian Catholic example of hate-motivated incidents in clinician and former social worker who Metropolitan Cathedral of Ss. Vladimir and Canada,” said UCC President Alexandra chairs the cathedral’s parish council, said in Olga in Winnipeg’s North End was found Chyczij. an e-mail that he is waiting to hear from the headless and missing the cross held in the In recent years, Canadian synagogues and lead police investigator on any develop- figure’s hand. mosques have been defaced with hate-filled ments in the case and has contacted Bear Created by the world-renowned Ukrainian graffiti, if not come under lethal attack, as Clan Patrol Inc., a volunteer-based Canadian sculptor Leo Mol, the statue was horribly illustrated in the 2017 shooting at Aboriginal organization that promotes safe- blessed by Pope John Paul II during his histor- the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City ty, conflict resolution and crime prevention ic visit to Winnipeg in 1984 and “symbolizes that left six men dead and more injured. In in Winnipeg’s inner-city. The city is home the beginning of Christianity” in Ukraine, said Alex Pankiw response, the Canadian government has both to many Indigenous people as well as The vandalized statue of St. Volodymyr in spent more than $7 million (about $5.1 mil- Ukrainian-born Anna Katchanovski, the Winnipeg, near the Ukrainian Catholic a Ukrainian community. cathedral’s secretary. Metropolitan Cathedral of Ss. Vladimir lion U.S.) over the past seven years to “Someone said that if it wasn’t for [St. and Olga. upgrade security at religious institutions. (Continued on page 12) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2019 No. 23 ANALYSIS Moscow makes an overture Zelenskyy seeks tougher EU sanctions nation to choose the alliances they desire, regardless of outside opinions. “I said that On the second and last day of his visit to we need to inform each Ukrainian about Brussels, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of to Ukraine’s novice president what NATO is like, which is not so terrible, Ukraine has called on the European Union to keeping missions on the occasion of and when Ukrainians are ready, we will def- by Vladimir Socor step up sanctions against Russia. Following International Peacekeeper’s Day, an annual initely bring this issue to a referendum, and Eurasia Daily Monitor talks with European Council President event of the United Nations Organization. Ukraine will definitely be in NATO,” said the Donald Tusk on June 5, Mr. Zelenskyy The interregnum in Kyiv invites probing The president’s message recalls that former comic actor with no prior political thanked the EU for its “unwavering support” from Moscow. “Let us start from a clean “Ukrainian soldiers have participated in all experience who took over as president two and called for the “strengthening of sanc- slate. We are open to dialogue,” the Russian major peacekeeping missions. The experi- weeks ago. A day earlier, Mr. Zelenskyy said tions to get peace back in Ukraine.” The EU Federation Council’s (upper chamber of the ence of many of these soldiers showed its that Ukraine’s “strategic course to achieve has imposed sanctions on Russia – including Russian Parliament) chair, Valentina value when it came to protecting peace in full-fledged membership in the EU and asset freezes and visa bans on Russian indi- Matvienko, signaled to Ukraine via state- our country.” Evoking the memory of sol- NATO” remained unchanged from the goal viduals and entities – after Moscow seized owned news agency TASS, on May 29. “We diers who fell while “rescuing the peaceful of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. population in our country and abroad,” Mr. control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in are ready to work on normalizing and Moscow has made explicit its opposition to restoring Russia-Ukraine relations. But Zelensky declares that “Ukraine has always March 2014 and began supporting separat- NATO’s further expansion, especially as without dictation or artificial conditions striven for peace and security of its people ists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has regards to Ukraine and Georgia. Tbilisi is from their side.” and of all the people on the planet” killed some 13,000 people. Mr. Zelenskyy also seeking to become a member of the If not quite an overture, it is a hint at (Ukrayinska Pravda, May 29). said that under his leadership Ukraine will Western military alliance. NATO and the one, inspired by recent developments in The president’s message mischaracteriz- continue to pursue EU integration, calling it European Union have invested heavily in Ukraine’s domestic politics as seen from es the war in Ukraine’s east beyond recog- “an assurance of the independence of the Ukraine and its 44 million people who, in Moscow. Ms. Matvienko singles out “the nition. Again, Russia is exempted from any Ukrainian state, the welfare of the Ukrainian addition to the conflict and Russia’s occupa- new president’s powerful support from a responsibility, Ukraine’s high moral ground people, and the accelerated economic and tion of Crimea, face entrenched corruption population that wants peace in the being thus forfeited. The Ukrainian military technological growth.” He said that “coun- is said to defend not the country, but an and major economic hurdles. NATO chief Donbas... The president will either grasp tering Russian aggression and the consolida- the mandate that the people gave him, or abstract notion of peace, cast as a goal per Jens Stoltenberg has called Ukraine a “high- tion of international support in the struggle else he will lose support.