www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Ukrainian American cycles cross-country for a cause — page 9. • “An Artful Afternoon” highlights 14 artists — page 11. • Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus performs in New York — page 15. HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXV No. 21 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2007 $1/$2 in Ukraine Sixty years after ethnocidal Akcja Wisla, With no end to the crisis in sight, Lemkos work to preserve their heritage the tide in Ukraine turns yet again by Zenon Zawada most patriotic part of the Ukrainian by Zenon Zawada Kyiv Press Bureau nation,” Mr. Pavlychko, a longtime Kyiv Press Bureau admirer of Lemko culture, said to exu- KYIV – The tide in Ukraine’s political This is the first of the two-part series. berant applause. “Where there are crisis appeared to turn in favor of the Lemkos, there is Ukraine.” coalition government led by Prime LVIV – For 60 years, hundreds of As more than 500 Lemko leaders repre- Minister Viktor Yanukovych after three thousands of Lemkos have thrived in the senting seven nations convened at the judges dismissed by President Viktor diaspora after being forced by the Polish Liudkevych Lviv Philharmonic between government from their ancestral home- Yushchenko took control of the May 4 and 6 to commemorate the 60th Constitutional Court, leading it to its first land, which would forever lose its anniversary of Akcja Wisla and celebrate Ukrainian character. verdict in at least nine months. The verdict their achievements since, they also con- happened to be in the coalition’s favor, as Wherever they settled, the Lemkos fronted an uncertain future for their people. fiercely preserved the Ukrainian lan- it questioned the president’s authority to Unable to re-establish a life in their appoint or dismiss top judges. guage, culture and traditions, with their native Lemkivschyna (currently the unique Lemko accent. More importantly, the constitutional southern parts of the Podkarpackie and court is expected to rule soon that the At the fourth Congress of the World Malopolskie voivodships in Poland), Federation of Ukrainian Lemko Unions April 26 presidential decree to dismiss Lemko leaders continue to work towards Parliament was unconstitutional, which held in Lviv May 5, perhaps no one bet- Official Website of the President of Ukraine finding ways to thrive in the diaspora, may give the coalition government a ter summed up Lemko contributions to whether in Ukraine, Europe, North firm upper hand when brokering a reso- President Viktor Yushchenko told for- the diaspora than Ukrainian World America or within Poland itself. lution to the conflict with the president. eign investors on May 23 that the work- Coordinating Council Chair Dmytro Even the speeches delivered at the Desperation within the Presidential ing group set up to overcome Ukraine’s Pavlychko, whose father served with congress revealed the Lemkos’ new sta- Secretariat became apparent when Mr. political crisis had “exhausted itself” Lemkos in the Austro-Hungarian army. and pledged that any further steps “Lemkos are the most suffering and (Continued on page 8) (Continued on page 27) taken would be “based only on the law.” Cross blessed for student town of Ukrainian Catholic University by Oksana Shkodzinska blessed for UCU’s new “student town,” procession of the UCU community, A prayer service to the Most Holy which will include modern dormitories, a including students of Holy Spirit Mother of God was led before the cross LVIV – On May 22 the Ukrainian library, museum, classroom buildings, Seminary, together with Ukrainian by Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv chapel and conference center. The site of Catholic bishops and clergy, as well as Lviv Ihor Vozniak, joined by Ukrainian kicked off the next stage of its develop- the cross on Stryiska Street had been supporters the UCU. They walked from Catholic bishops and clergy and Roman ment, as in the presence of local repre- blessed by Pope John Paul II during his the university’s campus on Sventsitsky Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Lviv sentatives of the church, government and visit to Ukraine in June 2001. Street through Stryiskyi Park on a warm Marian Buczek. Also participating were educational institutions, the cross was The May 22 ceremonies started with a and sunny day. members of various male and female religious orders. Afterwards Archbishop Vozniak blessed the cross. “We are standing in an extraordinary place, where the new cross was just blessed,” said Archbishop Vozniak in his greeting after the blessing ceremony. “In some time, buildings of the university town will stand here, where the youth of Ukraine will acquire knowledge and appropriate Christian spiritual formation.” The archbishop said that not only the UCU community and friends should be concerned about this planned building project for an academic and spiritual center, but also the people of Lviv, for whom this educational institution “is and should be a source of modest pride,” and all Ukrainians. “The university brings scholarly and spiritual change not only to those who study and teach at it, but to the whole society,” he added. Dr. Ivan Vakarchuk, rector of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv, also spoke at the gathering. The UCU’s rec- tor, the Rev. Dr. Borys Gudziak, noted that Dr. Vakarchuk, also a member of the UCU Senate, is himself a co-builder of the UCU. Petro Oliinyk, head of the Lviv Region Oblast Administration, said in his speech before the crowd that the govern- Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Lviv Ihor Vozniak blesses the cross for the new “student town” of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. (Continued on page 27) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2007 No. 21 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Ukraine’s “political tourism” President, PM fail to agree stopped attending parliamentary debates after the president issued a decree on April and managed civil society KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko 2 dissolving the Verkhovna Rada and call- and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on ing for snap elections. (RFE/RL Newsline) by Taras Kuzio when they participated in the blue maidan. May 21 talked for more than five hours Eurasia Daily Monitor A Tymoshenko bloc appeal to the behind closed doors but failed to set a date PM says Rada should pass bills prosecutor and Security Service of for early parliamentary elections, Ukrainian Parliamentary Assembly of the Council media reported. No statement was issued KYIV – Prime Minister Viktor Ukraine complained that students and Yanukovych said at a government meeting of Europe (PACE) experts on Ukraine high school pupils were both losing out following their talks. Meanwhile, the have pointed out that the ongoing “Blue Constitutional Court announced the same on May 23 that the Verkhovna Rada should on their studies and being placed in phys- urgently consider a number of bills on hold- maidan” demonstrations in downtown day that it has stopped assessing the validity ical danger. Earlier this month an illegal- ing early elections, Ukrainian media report- Kyiv’s Independence Square are incom- of Mr. Yushchenko’s April 2 decree dissolv- ly operating mini-bus organized by the ed. Mr. Yanukovych said he would meet patible with democracy. Although the ing the Verkhovna Rada and setting snap Party of the Regions crashed en route to with President Viktor Yushchenko later that maidan 2007 demonstrations are taking elections for May 27, and began considering Kyiv, putting the high school passengers day to press him to accept the adoption as place in the same location as those staged his decree of April 26, which invalidated the in the hospital (byut.com.ua, May 4). soon as possible of a “small package of bills by the “orange” supporters of then-presi- first one and rescheduled early polls for June There is a crucial difference between the to ensure honest and transparent elections.” dential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in 24. The previous week, presidential chief of 2004 Orange and 2007 Blue maidans: the Mr. Yanukovych reiterated his earlier stance 2004, today’s gatherings are not volun- staff Viktor Baloha said Mr. Yushchenko former was largely the work of sponta- that pre-term elections should be held in the tary. Rather, they are funded and managed neous, self-organized civil society, while the will ignore any Constitutional Court ruling by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych’s fall. “[Setting] the date of early elections is latter is the product of a managed civil soci- on his decrees. Previously, on May 16, now considered possible. If the elections Party of the Regions through the use of ety that has emerged out of the managed, Messrs. Yushchenko and Yanukovych also so-called political tourism. take place, they will be held in late one-party democracy still prevalent in Mr. failed to agree on a date for early parliamen- September or early October,” Mr. “It should be stressed that maidan Yanukovych’s home region of Donetsk. tary elections, when the working group they 2007 is not Maidan 2004. If the Orange Yanukovych noted. Presidential Secretariat The 2007 Blue maidan is discredited created a week earlier to deal with the crisis Chairman Viktor Baloha told journalists on Revolution was based on broad popular by reports of Blue supporters being paid failed to supply them with the unanimously support of faith in the improved running May 22 that the date set down in the presi- to travel to Ukraine; similar reports about approved package of bills needed for pre- dent’s second decree – June 24 – remains in of the country and a better future, today’s Orange voters in 2004 do not exist. The term elections. Later that same day, some force, but he added that Mr. Yushchenko is demonstrations, on the whole, are artifi- Guardian (April 5) wrote, “However, it 20,000 supporters of Yanukovych and the prepared to move back the date to enable cially managed by both sides” was clear that not all Mr.