The Ukrainian Weekly 1980, No.51

www.ukrweekly.com СВОБОДАД^УОВОБА Ж УКРАЇНСЬКИЙ ЩОАЄННИК `^j^f UK ПЛІ М IA.N О ЛІ І У UkrainianWeeENGLISH LANC.UAi,l Wl-l-Kl Y I l)ITION k Ї Vol. LXXXVII No. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21. 1980 25 cerlf? `Tj^i?^Pg^^?i^gt^^^ `^y^^^^??^^ip^?si^ uK?PffidSfe Khrystos Rozhdaietsia—Christ is Born M'Wr д-V ^vr^-^^v3;gP'S^^ Patriarch, bishops stress importance of family in Christmas message ROME - In their Christmas pastoral letter. Patriarch Josyf and the" Synod of Bishops of the "Pomisna" Ukrainian Catholic Church stressed that the family should be the center of true Christian love and called fora renewed recognition of the importance of family life. In the letter, released here December 2, the hierarchs also noted that their thoughts were with all Ukrainians in the free world and in Ukraine and that "weembrace .дії. of you with our fatherly love during this joyous Christmasі season"" The pastoral letter made reference to the recently convened synod which rejected the so-called the 1946 Lviv Synod, which - under the pressure of Sovietau` thorities - united Ukrainian Catholics with the Rus sian Orthodox Church and. in effect, liquidated the Ukrainian Catholic Church. "Our hearts,are extremely pained by the fate of our suffering Ukrainian Church, by the domination of godless communism. Our nation does not have the opportunity to celebrate this great feast, as once was the custom in Ukraine, with our `koliadky` which welcomed the arrival of our Savior," they wrote. At their synod, the Church hierarchs noted, they "Christmas Eve in Ihe Carpathian Mountains," glasspamting by Yaroslava Surmach Mills discussed the fate of their brothers and sisters in To all our readers, we extend our warmest Christmas greetings. May you celebrate this captive Ukraine and looked to the future "with hope (Continued on page 12) holy day in a spirit of magnanimity, conviviality and good will. Khrystos Rozhdaietsia! "Let us open our hearts Imprisoned dissident demands to receive Him,.." "right to be Ukrainian" Christmas greetings institution — should appreciate more TORONTO Ukrainian dissident letter in the name of the Creative Youth of the the opportunity this holy season offers Ivan Sokulsky. who was arrested fora of Dnipropetrovske which outlined the Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy in the us to reassess and reaffirm the impor second time in April and charged with destructive encroachment of Russifica United States tance of the family. "anti-Soviet agitation and propagan tion into all aspects of the region's life. to the clergy, religious and The family today has fallen prey to an da." recently issued a statement scoring The letter was sent to Ukrainian govern Ukrainian Catholic people of God. unstable moral order, where divorce is the So\iet policy of Russification in ment leader Vladimir Shcherbytsky. Peace in the Lord and our episcopal commonplace and where there exists a Ukraine and demanding "the right to be Mr. Sokulsky was sentenced to lour blessing widespread lack of understanding con Ukrainian."according to the Ukrainian and one-hall years in prison under cerning the permanence and the indis- Central Information Service. Article 62 of the Ukrainian Criminal Christ is Born — Praise Him! solubility of the covenant of love and In the statement, which recently Code - "anti-Soviet agitation and self-giving enjoined on two people in reached the West, the 40-year-old poet propaganda." "And this shall be a sign to you: you sacramental marriage. Today, some cited the Universal Declaration of After serving his sentence in a Mord will find an infant wrapped in swaddling people seem to reject their fundamental Human Rights and other international ovian camp and Vladimir Prison. Mr. clothes and lying in a manger. "(Lk 2,12). vocation to participate in God's life and covenants as guaranteeing national Sokulsky was released, but he was the love forgetting God's words to our first rights and the right to sell-determina subject of constant police surveillance Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: parents, when He said. "Let us make tion. Mr. Sokulsky`s statement has and harassment up to the time of his Once again we approach the great man in our image, after our likeness." been widely circulated in Ukraine and arrest on identical charges last spring. feast of the Nativity of our Lord when (Gn 1:26) He emphasized their primary cls-.vhere in the Soviet Union through we commemorate the moment our mission: "Be fertile and multiply: fill the ramvydav channels. Heavenly Father sept to us His Only- earth and subdue it." (Gn 1:28) To carry NSIDE: Begotten Son, to redeem the human Born in Dnipropetrovske. Mr.Sokul- Ш "Katya`s Christmas," a story by out this divine plan, man and woman sky was educated at Lviv University, race. Let us open our hearts to receive are joined in marriage for life. Andrij Bilyk - page 6. Him, so that with His coming we will be where he was enrolled in the film sanctified. Even our Lord subjected himself to department. He continued his studies U Address by Griffin Bell, chair We, Ukrainians, ever respectful of the this divine plan, as St. Paul writes: "but at the university in Dnipropetrovske, man of the U.S. delegation to the family's dignity, and now living in a when the designated time had come. but was expelled. Madrid Conference — page 7. time when society threatens to have so God sent forth his Son born of a Mr. Sokulsky was first arrested on Ш Ukrainian Christmas traditions deleterious an effect on the family (Continued on page 16) June 13, 1969. after co-authoring a - page 8. No JO THE UKRAINIAN WEEKIV SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21,1980 Soviet policy (this is the most numerous type of samvydav); and literary works Loyola University is site of forum on religion in Eastern bloc with a religious theme. by Michael J. Drew topic was the "Evangelical Christians become a more important component Samvydav materials fall into three and the Soviet Regime." in the shaping of the societies where basic categories — Ukrainian Catho CHICAGO - A forum on "Aspects Dr. Steeves was primarily concerned they find their homes and they have of Religion in the USSR and Eastern lic, Orthodox and Protestant, Dr. with the question of human rights from taken on more of a political role, even in Markus informed. Europe" sponsored by the department the theoretical point of view and in the Soviet Union." of political science at Loyola University terms of the ways Evangelical Protest However, when anti-religious pres He went on to discuss specific under in cooperation with the Society for ants have related to the complexities of sure becomes too high, Dr. Pankhurst ground publications and their relevance the Study of Religion Under Commun human-rights questions in the Soviet pointed out, the pressure leads to a to the religious freedom movement. He ism based in Wheaton, III., was held Union. splintering of religious groups. The also informed abtiut various individuals here on December 6 at Mertz Hall on According to Dr. Steeves, the total problem of this, as far as the state is who have been arrested because of their the Loyola University campus. number of Protestant believers in the concerned, is that it leads the Soviets to involvement with these publications. In his introductory remarks, Dr. Soviet Union is about 4 million. Their not knowing how many believers or Alan Scarfe, administrative director James Wiser, chairman of the political numbers have been growing and their non-believers there are. This was appar of the Society for the Study of Religion science department, stressed the univer relations with the Soviet government ent during the 1930s, when they lost Under Communism was the fifth speak sity's deep concern for spiritual values have been improving since 1975, but their ability to survey the situation. er at the forum, and he discussed and for their relevance to the study of they are restricted very much in their Dr. Pankhurst views the Soviets as "Observations on the Religious Scene in politics in national and international religious practices. being afraid of religion because it Rumania." contexts. Dr. Steeves pointed out that there are provides the population with a basis for There were six distinguished speakers some Soviet citizens now who are allegiance. Mr. Scarfe discussed the Rumanian at the forum, all of whom gave oral picking up the Western liberal attitude "Dissent has grown as detente has government's preoccupation with keep reports on the research they are doing in on human rights, and this lead. to the grown," explained Dr. Pankhurst. ing out of the country anything that had this field. The presentations were fol current outbreak of dissident activity "Detente has made the protest move to do with religion at all. lowed by a question-and-answer period. which began with the Evangelical ment sensitive to international relations The final presentation was given by The lead-off speaker was Dr. Thomas Protestants in the early 1960s and and has contributed to a greater cooper Anne Gillen, director of the National Bird of the Gty University of New spread through the Orthodox Church ation among dissenters whether they are Inter-religious Task Force on Soviet York. Dr. Bird's presentation was titled and through the secular dissident believers or non-believers." Jewry. Her presentation concerned "Catholics in the Soviet Union." activities in the 1970s. This is a means by which the religious "Advocates of Religious Liberty and There are approximately 4.5 million message takes on greater impact on the Madrid Confernece." The confer Roman Catholics being oppressed in Dr. Steeves went on to point out Soviet society.

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