The Ukrainian Weekly 1989, No.49
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www.ukrweekly.com 11 ґЬ Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a friternal non-profit assocratioii rainianWeeHv Vol. LVIi No. 49 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3,1989 50 cents 200,000 in Lviv profess faith Canada to open Kiev Consulate as Gorbachev-pope meeting nears Prime minister visits Ukraine's capital LVIV - With the historic Vatican ments, including a telegram to Mr. JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Prime Mi. summit between Pope John Paul II and Gorbachev appealing for legalization of nister Brian Mulroney, visiting Kiev on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev less the Ukrainian Catholic Church in November 23, announced that Canada than one week away, an estimated Ukraine, a message to President George would open a consulate in the Ukrai 200,000 Ukrainian Catholic believers Bush and Pope John Paul II. nian capital in recognition ofHhe close marched through the streets of Lviv to The documents emphasized the rights ties of family and friendship that find profess their faith on Sunday, Novem of Ukrainian Catholics; they contained the peoples of Canada and Ukraine.'' ber 26, reported Ivan Gel, the Ukrai appeals to official circles of the USSR The announcement was made during nian Catholic lay leader, in a telephone and other international bodies to sup the second leg of Mr. Mulroney's five- call to the Very Rev. Mitred Marian port the demands of Ukrainian G4tho- day trip to the Soviet Union, which also Butrynsky, pastor of Chicago's Ss. lics to legalize and rehabilitate the included visits to Moscow and Lenin Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catho Ukrainian Catholic Church and for the grad. lic Parish. Soviet Union to abide by the Helsinki In the capital of Ukraine, Mr. MuK That Sunday, proclaimed as a "Day Accords and other international agree roney also held talks with the recently of Prayer and Fasting" throughout the ments. named first secretary of the Communist world by Ukrainian Catholic Cardinal Despite snow, ice, and sub-zero Party of Ukraine, thus becoming the Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, primate of temperatures, the huge congregation first Western leader to meet with Volo Ukrainian Catholics, witnessed the assembled for the open-air service, dymyr Ivashko. faithful attending a noontime outdoor reported Keston College. The specially According to the Toronto Star, Mr. liturgy near the Porokhova Bashta constructed altar and a beautiful cross, Ivashko, who replaced Brerfmev era (Gunpowder Tower) on Pidvalna Street, made of colored glass was surrounded holdover Volodymyr Shcherbytsky, across the way from the former building by various banners, blue and yellow told the prime minister that he is of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in flags, and tridents. Portraits of the committed to reforms "as part of a Lviv, which has recently been revita martyr St. Josaphat, Metropolitan stable process." lized. Andrey Sheptytsky, Cardinal and Pa During meetings with Ukrainian Prior to the start of the liturgy, which triarch Josyf Slipyj and Pope John Paul leaders. Prime Minister Mulroney and was served by 38 priests, Mr. Gel, the II, executed by artist Yaroslav Ma- External Affairs Minister Joe Clark Prime Minister Brian Mulroney head of the Committee in the Defense of celiukh, surrounded the altar. brought up human rights issues, in Addressing a news conference, Mr. the Ukrainian Catholic Church, read a After the liturgy, the multitudes, cluding legalization of the Ukrainian Mulroney said the issue of the Ukrai declaration, as well as several docu (Continued on page 5) Catholic Church, the Star reported. nian Catholic Church "got a sym pathetic hearing" from Ukrainian SSR official, but that ;4here were no hard and fast guarantees" that the Catholicism in Ulcraine on eve of Gorby's meeting with pope Church will be legalized. The Globe and Mail reported. by Kathleen MihaUsko deputy foreign minister Anatoly Ada- ing daily masses in the Church of the While in Kiev, Prime Minister Mul mishin, the highest-ranking official thus Transfiguration and small groups of roney also laid a wreath at the Taras After 43 years of unrelenting persecu far to indicate that the prohibition on worshippers are keeping vigil at night. Shevchenko monument and defied tion, the world's largest outlawed the UCC is coming to an end. Mr. Local authorities in Lviv and Russian police barricades by walking over to a Christian denomination - the Ukrai Adamishin told a news conference on Orthodox Church leaders have de crowd^thered in front of Shevchenko nian Catholic Church - appears to be November 22 that Ukrainian Catholics nounced the takeover as illegal, whiie University, located across the street on the verge of legalization. On Decem are now worshipping without harass efforts to find a compromise have been from the monument to the 19th century ber 1, Mikhail Gorbachev will become ment and that all religions will enjoy unsuccessful. bard. the first Soviet party leader to meet with equal rights once the new law on Estimates put the number of Ukrai freedom of conscience is adopted. He also spoke at a dinner with the the Catholic pontiff, and it is widely nian Catholics in Ukraine at between 4 Council of Ministers of Ukraine, ex-' expected that the status of the cata The long-awaited new legalization on and 5 million people. The difficulties of pressing hope that '4he friendship comb Church in Ukraine will dominate religion is not, however, expected to be counting adherents to any religious between the peoples of Canada and the their talks. taken up in parliament until next faith in the Soviet Union are com Soviet Union arid Ukraine (may) be an The mere fact that the meeting is set spring's session of the Supreme Soviet, pounded, in the case of the UCC, by its example for all the peoples of the to take place is an indication that the and it is not yet known whether Ukrai years of existence in the underground. world." Vatican is encouraged by steps already nian Catholic congregations will be But evidence of the Church's continued taken by the Soviet leadership to clear permitted іп the interim to register strength in western Ukraine has been KievComiihte the obstacles to legalization. Pope John themselves in accordance with the provided by the mass demonstrations, Paul II has stated on a number of existing law. processions and open prayer meetings An ofHcial announcement from the occasions that the normalization of Meanwhile, impatient Ukrainian that have become fairly regular occur Office of the Prime Minister noted: relations between Moscow and the Cfe^holics have begun to take matters, rences not only in Lviv but in Ivano- "The establishment of this consulate- Vatican depends on the lifting of the into their own hands. The Church of the Frankivske, Temopil and other locali general will permit the nearly 1 million Stalin-imposed ban on the Ukrainian Transfiguration in Lviv was reclaimed ties. Canadians of Ukrainian origin to Catholic Church (UCC). by Catholics on October 29, when the On September 17, more than 150,000 maintain stronger ties with their families In recent weeks, the number of Rev. Yaroslav Chukhniy, one of the people wound through the streets of in the Soviet Union." positive signs given by Soviet officials now formerly Orthodox priests who Lviv in a.procession that culminated in The release also stated: on the subject of the UCC's fate has serves the parish, paid devotion to the front of the Cathedral of St. George, the "The Canadian mission in Kiev will multiplied. Yuri Khristoradnov, the pope and declared that he was recon historical seat of Ukrainian Catholi not only provide consular services, but career party functionary who last spring secrating the church to the Greek- cism. The event coincided with large- will also actively promote trade and took over the chairmanship of the Catholic faith. The Rev. Andriy Horak scale commemorations of the 50th business relations between the two Council for Religious Affairs, said in an appealed to the congregation to oppose anniversary of the Soviet occupation of countries. interview on November 1 with Western the Rev. Chukhniy's move, but to no western Ukraine, thus underscoring the "Diplomatic notes on this subject reporters that h? was optimistic about avail. volatility of the current political situa have been exchanged with the govern the Church's eventual legalization. The Rev. Chukhniy and other Ukrai tion in Ukraine's western regions. ment of the USSR. As is usual in such Mr. Khristoradnov was seconded by nian Catholic clergymen are now hold (Continued on page 13) (Continued on page 15) THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECFMBER 3, 1989 No. 49 PHOTO FOLLOW-UP: The mass graves of Demianiv Laz In its November 12 issue, Tlie Ukrainian Weekly reported that yet another mass grave of victims of the Stalin terror in Ukraine had been discovered in the area of Ivano-Franki ^ke, in Demianiv Laz, a nature preserve near Pasichna. Hundreds of bodies were exhumed along with irrefutable evidence - documents - indicating these persons were executed by the secret police of that time, the NKVD. Recently, photos of the gruesome scene, taken on a Sunday in late October, have been brought back to the United States by tourists. Seen in the photos, clockwise, from top right are: a coffin of sculls with bullet holes, with flowers tossed in by mourners; a wooden cross with a crown of thorns, a birchwood cross decorated with an embroidered cloth and a tripod flying the tri-color (red-blue-yellow) flag of the local Cultural- Scholarly Society Rukh (not be to be confused with the Popular Movement of Ukraine for Perebudova), mark the site of the mass graves; part of the bulletin board set up on the site -^ne list bears the names of 10 victims, the other of five executioners; a row of bone-filled coffins placed next to the fence surrounding the site, in the foreground is a coffin with human remains and bits of clothing, Information on the exhumations is posted on the trailer seen in the background.