Ukrainian Catholic Bishops Meet at First Synod Ever Held in U.S
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INSIDE: • Can Tymoshenko live with a grand coalition? — page 3. • Kirovohrad baseball team visits the U.S. — page 8. • Detroit parish concludes centennial celebrations — page 11. HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXV No. 41 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007 $1/$2 in Ukraine Ukrainian Catholic bishops meet at first synod ever held in U.S. by Yaro Bihun National Shrine of the Holy Family in Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Washington, visits to other religious institutions in those two cities, dinners WASHINGTON – Ukrainian Catholic and a concert. bishops from around the world convened The two-day Washington portion of in Philadelphia and Washington on the synod program on October 4-5 also September 26 through October 6 for the included the presentation of an honorary first synod ever to be held in the United doctorate to the primate of the Ukrainian States. Normally such a gathering would Catholic Church, Cardinal Lubomyr be held in Ukraine, the seat of the global Husar, at the Catholic University of Ukrainian Catholic Church. This year the America. venue was changed to mark the cente- While the details of the synod discus- nary of the arrival of the first Ukrainian sions were not disclosed, during a press bishop – Stephen Soter Ortynsky – to conference on October 5 in Washington. America and the establishment of the Patriarch Lubomyr noted some of the first Ukrainian eparchy in Philadelphia. major issues that were in the forefront of Thirty-nine prelates participated in the their deliberations. The bishops did not synod. They came from all of the geo- try to solve geographically local church graphic areas where the Ukrainian problems, he said. They focused their Catholic Church is established: Ukraine, attention on issues “of great interest to the United States, Canada, Australia, the entire Church.” Without going into New Zealand and Oceania, Brazil, details, he mentioned three of them: Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia Argentina, England, France, the Benelux • Evangelization – especially in the Ukrainian Catholic bishops during the synod. countries, Switzerland, Germany, post-Communist world, to help bring Scandinavia, Poland and Croatia. into the Church its former members who serve his people no matter where he is,” anytime soon, the patriarch discounted Most of the work of the 11-day synod had drifted away as well as those who said Patriarch Lubomyr. that possibility: “We do not presume that was conducted in closed-door discus- had never been Church members. • Youth – reviewing and discussing in one sitting we would be able to give a sions of issues of major concern to the • Priesthood – enlarging the pool of the recommendations of a recent sobor meaningful document for our faithful so Ukrainian Catholic Church. The public candidates and training them to serve on the subject held in Kyiv that focused quickly.” He noted that the discussion of events included hierarchical liturgies at anywhere in the world. “We would like on the special needs of young people. the question about priests is in its third the Cathedral of the Immaculate to have a priest of our Church who could Asked if the synod’s recommenda- Conception in Philadelphia and the carry on his duties, live his vocation and tions in these areas could be expected (Continued on page 5) Yushchenko keeps his options open, as parties move toward coalition by Zenon Zawada of the Regions of Ukraine (PRU) who Kyiv Press Bureau want the government to protect their assets and lobby their interests, the Our Ukraine KYIV – While all signs seem to point – People’s Self-Defense bloc patriots who toward the Orange coalition’s resurrec- can’t risk ruining their political images and tion and Yulia Tymoshenko’s return as cultural agendas in a PRU coalition, and prime minister, President Viktor the Our Ukraine top brass that can’t toler- Yushchenko insisted on keeping his ate Ms. Tymoshenko’s total-control options open, conducting talks with rep- approach to politics. resentatives of the Party of the Regions Pleasing all these entities will be diffi- and the Bloc of Volodymyr Lytvyn. cult, if not impossible, observers said. In forcing the pre-term election, Mr. “None of the mega-factions, which are Yushchenko not only re-shuffled the essentially financial groupings, are ready Parliament to his slight favor, but he also to be in the opposition,” Mr. Syrotiuk got himself the coveted role of “king- said. “For businessmen, the Parliament is maker,” in which he will largely deter- a stock company. They feel they should mine whether he will try working with obtain dividends from their investment. Ms. Tymoshenko again, or keep Viktor It’s a zero-sum game for them.” Yanukovych in place. Either a pro-Western Orange coalition His decision will be the one via which or pro-oligarch broad coalition needs the he’s able to satisfy the people he needs Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense most to survive, political observers said. bloc, which is why the president finds “There needs to be an adequate distri- himself in his luxurious, yet challenging bution of power,” said Yurii Syrotiuk, a position. political analyst with the Kyiv-based Ironically, the president’s biggest Open Society Foundation, which is enemy might be the same Our Ukraine – financed by the American and British gov- People’s Self-Defense bloc that he spent ernments. “President Yushchenko under- the campaign season lobbying for. Mykola Lazarenko/UNIAN stands this, so he has proposed that every- The bloc’s pragmatic, business-oriented one be in government and be satisfied.” faction has advocated a coalition with the Presidential Secretariat Chair Viktor Baloha (left), President Viktor Yushchenko Specifically, the president needs to sat- Party of the Regions, largely because they and National Security and Defense Council Chair Ivan Pliusch (right) engage in isfy the wealthy businessmen of the Party discussions on October 8 with the leaders of parties elected to Parliament. (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007 No. 41 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Orange Revolution back on track No real coalition talks yet won seats in the Ukrainian Parliament to begin consultations and political negotia- after parliamentary elections KYIV – The Party of the Regions and tions and make proposals both on the for- the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (YTB), mat of the coalition and a candidate for which finished first and second, respec- by Taras Kuzio vote count in the face of an onslaught by prime minister within five days,” Mr. tively, in the September 30 early elec- Eurasia Daily Monitor the YTB. Last year the Party of the Yushchenko said at a meeting with lead- tions, have not held any talks about the October 5 Regions had a 10 percent lead over the ers of the Party of the Regions, the Yulia YTB, but now the gap has narrowed to formation of a new ruling coalition, Tymoshenko Bloc, Our Ukraine – Ukraine’s September 30 parliamentary only 3 percent. The YTB’s 31 percent UNIAN reported on October 9, quoting People’s Self-Defense, the Communist elections mark a resurrection of the share this year marks a remarkable rise Party of the Regions leader and Prime Party and the Bloc of Volodymyr Lytvyn. Orange Revolution. The two Orange from only 8 percent in 2002. Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Meanwhile, In an interview with the French daily Le forces, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc Most of the YTB’s gains are in Russian- Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists the Figaro last week, Mr. Yushchenko said (YTB) and Our Ukraine – People’s Self speaking eastern and southern Ukraine, same day that if the Party of the Regions that Yulia Tymoshenko could become Defense (OU-PSD), together won 45 per- making it Ukraine’s first and only all- and the Our Ukraine – People’s Self- prime minister provided that the Party of cent of the votes. Their expected 230 national political force. The YTB and its Defense bloc create a ruling coalition, her the Regions, led by current Prime seats (out of 450) should be enough to territorial-based form of nationalism have bloc will switch to the opposition and Minister Viktor Yanukovych, gets some create a slim Orange parliamentary coali- successfully attracted Russian-speaking start preparations for the presidential ministerial posts in a new Cabinet. tion and government. voters, many of whom have been put off elections, which are due in 2009 or 2010. (RFE/RL Newsline) President Viktor Yushchenko has called by OU-PSD’s ethno-cultural nationalism. “[President Viktor] Yushchenko and for a broad coalition consisting of the YTB, Second, eastern Ukrainian administra- Yanukovych already formed coalitions on …wants control over security forces OU-PSD and the Party of the Regions. two occasions, and both attempts ended tions controlled by the Party of the KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko Although he campaigned for a “democrat- in disaster. The only option for bringing Regions and large factories with Socialist also said at a meeting with leaders of the ic” (i.e., Orange) coalition and continues to stability to the country is a coalition of directors sought to bolster the SPU vote. parties that won seats in the September 30 support this, he believes that the Party of democratic forces,” Ms. Tymoshenko In central Ukraine SPU support collapsed elections that all security agencies in the Regions should be given some govern- said. Speaking at a meeting of party lead- from an average of 10 percent in the Ukraine should be subordinated exclu- ment and parliamentary positions. ers with Mr. Yushchenko on October 8, 2006 elections to 2 percent percent this sively to the president, Ukrainian media The YTB immediately restated its Ms.