INSIDE: l UWC and UCCA election monitoring missions – page 3 l Light of Justice Award presented in Kyiv – page 4 l Holodomor Research and Education Consortium’s impact – page 9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019 $2.00 Orthodox Church of Ukraine Health reform champion Suprun suspended enthrones Epifaniy as leader due to court case filed by populist lawmaker by Mark Raczkiewycz KYIV – Ongoing efforts to overhaul the country’s defective and corrupt health-care system took a serious blow on February 5 when a Kyiv administrative circuit court issued an injunction that barred its chief implementer – Dr. Ulana Suprun – from performing her duties as acting health min- ister of Ukraine. From the outset of her appointment on July 27, 2016, the Ukrainian American phy- sician has stepped on the toes of deeply entrenched corruption interests. Their actions of theft and graft have created a system that has failed to meet the most basic needs of patients in a country where the privileged seek medical care abroad. A remnant of the USSR’s failed promises, every Ukrainian citizen is constitutionally entitled to free medical care, but that never www.pomisna.info Patriot Defence/Facebook Metropolitan Epifaniy during enthronement ceremonies held at St. Sophia Cathedral was a reality before or after independence. Dr. Ulana Suprun of Ukraine’s Ministry on February 3. For example, patients grew accustomed to of Health. paying for syringes and X-ray film, vaccines RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service held in a packed St. Sophia Cathedral in the for children and cancer treatment. as acting health minister. Ukrainian capital. It was attended by dozens Dr. Suprun’s approach to ensure that Judge Karakashyan ruled that she has KYIV – The new Orthodox Church of of Ukrainian and foreign Church officials. “money follows the patient,” modeled after dual Ukrainian and U.S. citizenship in con- Ukraine has installed its first metropolitan, Also in attendance were hundreds of well- Great Britain’s health-care system, among travention of the law. He also said that the Epifaniy, at a ceremony in Kyiv on February wishers and President Petro Poroshenko. other quality-care improvements, came to a term had expired for her to continue in the 3, in a process that further establishes the Mr. Poroshenko, who had promised the temporary end when Justice Serhiy role of acting health minister. Instead, he new church body’s independence. establishment of an independent Church Karakashyan ruled in favor of the plaintiff, said, she could fulfill the duties of first dep- The enthronement ceremony for for Ukraine, described the ceremony as the populist lawmaker Ihor Mosiychuk of the uty minister of health. Metropolitan Epifaniy – whose formal title is Radical Party, who has repeatedly chal- Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine – was (Continued on page 11) lenged the legality of Dr. Suprun’s position (Continued on page 11) Ukraine’s autocephaly process discussed via virtual town hall by Matthew Dubas Church of Ukraine (OCU) by Ecumenical and clarity to this unfortunately heated and Order is supplying them, having assembled Patriarch Bartholomew on January 5 and its unquestionably crucial issue. an impressive roster of speakers – one that PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A virtual Town Hall transfer on January 6 to Metropolitan “The New York Times (https://nytimes. certainly cannot be dismissed as simply a meeting, “Ukraine Autocephaly: An Issue So Epifaniy, head of the newly unified OCU. Dr. com/reuters/2019/01/05/world/ group of apologists for the position of the Critical,” was hosted on January 26 by the Limberakis reminded the audience that this europe/05reuters-ukraine-church.html) Ecumenical Patriarchate…” Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Archons of meeting was not a debate. reported on Saturday, [January 5,] that Dr. Demacopoulos, co-director of the the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The meeting Public Orthodoxy, the publication of the Russia is ‘comparing it to the Great Schism Orthodox Christian Studies Center at was held via conference call, with listeners Orthodox Christian Studies Center at of 1054 that divided western and eastern Fordham University, in his opening state- able to ask questions (written in advance Fordham University, published an informa- Christianity.’ This issue has indeed been the ment underscored three main issues he and posed during the call as it happened), tive article on January 24 by Dr. Limberakis cause of a regrettable schism, with the saw as part of the discussion: 1) reconcilia- and attracted an audience from across explaining why the Order had taken the Moscow Patriarchate unilaterally breaking tion of Orthodox Churches in Ukraine, 2) North America and likely beyond. unprecedented step of hosting a virtual communion with Constantinople not over autocephaly of the OCU within the borders Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, national com- town hall meeting about autocephaly for any matter of doctrine, but simply over the of Ukraine (historical vs modern borders), mander of the Order of St. Andrew the the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Below is question of jurisdiction regarding the and 3) Moscow’s reaction to the Apostle, welcomed the audience and intro- an excerpt from the article. Ukrainian Church. Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision. These duced the meeting’s panelists – Metropolitan “It is one of the most vexing and impor- “Thus what was, or should have been, topics, he said, should clarify what the Emmanuel of France (Greek Orthodox tant questions confronting the Church in simply an administrative issue has become developments in Ukraine mean for world Church), the Rev. Deacon Nicholas our time, and one of the least understood: something far larger, with implications for Orthodoxy. Denysenko, Ph.D. (Valparaiso University), the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian the Orthodox Church as a whole that can- After a brief introduction of the panelists Vera Shevzov, Ph.D. (Smith College) – as well Orthodox Church by His All-Holiness not be overstated. The questions involved by Dr. Demacopoulos, opening statements as the meeting’s moderator, George Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of in this issue include ones of authority, unity, were offered by the panelists, who were Demacopoulos, Ph.D. (Fordham University). Constantinople has rocked the Church more jurisdiction, and the very nature of what it limited to five minutes each. The 90-minute meeting began at 1 p.m. than any event in the last millennium. Now means to be an Orthodox Christian in the Metropolitan Emmanuel, one of three and was convened to clarify facts and foster the Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the world today. exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of a spiritual exchange related to the signing of Ecumenical Patriarchate, is hosting a “Some calming and informative voices the Tomos of autocephaly for the Orthodox Virtual Town Meeting to bring some light are certainly needed at this point, and the (Continued on page 18) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019 No. 6 ANALYSIS Turkey gives symbolic political Yanukovych slams treason conviction Germany, and Poland. “If such a group had started investigations five years ago, there Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s pro-Russia would have been no catastrophe,” Mr. and military support to Ukraine former president, has again rejected his Yanukovych said, claiming that there “most conviction by a Ukrainian court on charges likely would not have been war” in eastern by Orhan Gafarli of high treason over attempts to quash a Ukraine and that “the situation in Crimea Eurasia Daily Monitor of the 1936 Montreux Convention states, 2014 pro-Western uprising known as the would have been different.” Mr. Yanukovych (YeniÇağ,“In a time Novemberof war, [with] 29, Turkey 2018). being Article a bel 20- Maidan protests. Speaking at the Moscow also claimed that European leaders “dou- Turkey and Ukraine are boosting their ligerent... the passage of warships (through headquarters of Russia’s state-run Rossiya ble-crossed me, betrayed me” and “were strategic cooperation in the military the Turkish Straits) shall be left to the dis- Segodnya media agency, Mr. Yanukovych and remain responsible” for what hap- sphere. On January 12, Ukraine’s President cretion of the Turkish government.” told journalists on February 6 that the ver- pened in Ukraine in 2014. “I would like Petro Poroshenko stated that he signed an Pointedly, the government in Ankara made dict and 13-year prison sentence against them to answer my questions publicly,” he agreement on the purchase of 12 Turkish no public statements in response to the him at his trial in absentia was “written on exploratory demands coming out of Kyiv said. “Why have I not received any answers Bayraktar Tactical Block 2 (TB2) the instructions of the [Ukrainian] authori- regarding the closing of the straits. from the leaders of those [European] coun- unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the ties.” He said pressure on the Kyiv court Nevertheless, a couple weeks after these Ukrainian military (Hürriyet, January 12). had been “unprecedented.” Judge Vladyslav tries to my questions? I have been asking events, the Turkish Navy announced it had The continued growth in bilateral mili- Deviatko, of Kyiv’s Obolon District Court, them for many years.” (RFE/RL) begun construction on a new naval base in tary cooperation has attracted renewed announced the January 24 ruling that Mr. Trabzon, in the eastern part of the Black 83 file as presidential candidates attention since the Kerch crisis, which Yanukovych “committed a crime against Sea (Milliyet, December 11, 2018). arose between Ukraine and Russia on the foundation of Ukraine’s national securi- Ukraine’s Central Election Commission In an effort to further focus international November 25, 2018. On that day, Russian ty” and was found guilty of “complicity in (CEC) has completed acceptance of registra- attention on the volatile security situation naval and maritime border guard forces waging an aggressive war against Ukraine.” tion documents for the March 31 presiden- in the Black Sea region and its possible attacked several Ukrainian naval ships in Mr.