INSIDE:• Ukraine and Russia sign pact on military cooperation — page 3. • Malanky: New York- and Toronto-style — page 10. • Non-profit organization promotes publishing in Ukraine — page 13. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIX HE KRAINIANNo. 4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2001 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine UkrainianT CatholicU bishops convene Kuchma dismissesW Tymoshenko synod to elect primate of Church Former vice PM vows to continue fight by R.L. Chomiak Church worldwide. by Roman Woronowycz Yuschenko until January 23 to announce Special to The Ukrainian Weekly It was Metropolitan Sheptytsky who Kyiv Press Bureau that he had issued his own governmental reformed, renewed and globalized the decree. LVIV – The Synod of Bishops of the Church that until his tenure had been limit- KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma Mr. Kuchma said in Berlin that he Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church began its ed to a corner of the Austro-Hungarian brought the political axe down on Vice signed the order not only because of the work here on Wednesday, January 24, with empire known as Eastern Galicia. It was he Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on investigation by Procurator General the principal topic on the agenda being the who started sending priests to the continents January 19 in connection with charges of Mykhailo Potebenko but also “for other election of a new primate for the Church, a where Ukrainian Catholics were settling; as smuggling, forgery and tax evasion that reasons,” according to Interfax-Ukraine, successor to Cardinal Myroslav Ivan a result, today there are 34 Ukrainian the country’s chief prosecutor has leveled which included Ms. Tymoshenko’s poor Lubachivsky who died on December 14, Catholic bishops and archbishops around against her. But it took her boss, Prime performance in energy sector reform. He 2000, at the age of 86. the world. Minister Viktor Yuschenko, five days to explained that the vice prime minister In the morning of January 24, 26 hierar- The main purpose of this synod is to sign the document dismissing her, even had done more image-building than chs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church from elect a new archbishop major – the “head though the president’s team insisted that effective work while in office and that four continents and the papal nuncio in and father” of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic the head of government concurred in the she should have resigned long ago from Ukraine crossed the courtyard from the Church to replace Cardinal Lubachivsky – decision. “a moral point of view.” Metropolitan’s Palace to St. George and by the end of the second day of deliber- Commenting on the firing, which was Ms. Tymoshenko, 40, formerly ran Cathedral to begin their historic conclave ations a successor had not yet been elected. made while Mr. Kuchma was attending United Energy Systems, a gas and oil with a liturgy. Every Ukrainian Catholic bishop has a vote an international conference in Berlin, the consortium that achieved its success on The synod opened 100 years after in the deliberations; each is eligible to be president said that he and his prime min- the coattails of ex-political heavyweight Andrey Sheptytsky became the archbishop elected. ister had consulted and agreed on the Pavlo Lazarenko, a former prime minis- and metropolitan of the Lviv See. For 43 The conclave was held behind closed need to make the move. ter of Ukraine who has spent the last two years the cathedral had served as his base doors in the archbishop major’s headquar- Initially the prime minister’s press years in a U.S. detention facility fighting and that of his successor, Patriarch and ters, but the liturgy offered for the repose of office contradicted President Kuchma’s money-laundering charges there and in Cardinal Josyf Slipyj. But, from 1946, when the soul of Cardinal Lubachivsky was open statement and said that Prime Minister Switzerland. Ms. Tymoshenko has been the Soviet government forced the Ukrainian to the public. Yuschenko had issued no order dismiss- named in several criminal investigations Catholic Church underground, until 1991 it Bishop Lubomyr Husar, the administra- ing the vice prime minister, but the fol- recently, including one by Russian prose- was in the hands of the Russian Orthodox tor of the Church, delivered a homily that lowing day it acknowledged that the cutors into a bribery charge against a Church. With Ukraine’s independence St. was the keynote for the conclave. He called president had discussed the decision Russian military official. Her husband, George Cathedral once again became the with the prime minister on several occa- headquarters of the Ukrainian Catholic (Continued on page 21) sions. Nonetheless, it took Mr. (Continued on page 4) Kyiv and Vatican reaffirm Ukraine marks January 22 anniversary that pope’s visit is on track by Roman Woronowycz hopes that he will be able to promote a Kyiv Press Bureau peaceful ecumenical dialogue in this coun- try.” It added, “The visit is to take place as it KYIV – Reacting to efforts by the was scheduled.” Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow The minor brouhaha is the result of an Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to have a scheduled appeal by UOC-MP Metropolitan visit by Pope John Paul II to Ukraine can- Volodymyr Sabodan to Pope John Paul II – celed, both the Ukrainian government and approved by the UOC-MP Holy Synod and the Vatican issued strong statements on Council of Bishops and issued on January January 23 stating that such actions will not 22 – in which the metropolitan expressed derail the pontiff’s June trip. surprise at a visit of the Catholic primate to Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykola Ukraine proceeding without the Vatican Zhulynskyi said that the UOC-Moscow “officially informing” the UOC-MP and Patriarchate is wrong in claiming that the without an invitation from the Kyiv visit of Pope John Paul II must be post- metropolia. poned until the other religious confessions Metropolitan Volodymyr suggested that, in Ukraine agree on how and when it should in the interests of inter-confessional rela- take place. tions, Pope John Paul II should delay his “This is a state visit, which has been trip to “a more favorable period of coopera- agreed to by the first person of the state – tion between the two Churches.” He Volodymyr Falin/Ukrinform the president of Ukraine,” said the vice explained that such a time period would be prime minister, while noting that the invita- one when the UOC-MP could take part in KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma, along with Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko, tion from Ukraine was issued by the gov- the invitation procedure and preparations Vice Prime Minister Mykola Zhulynskyi and First Vice-Chairman of the ernment to the Catholic primate as the head for the visit. Verkhovna Rada Viktor Medvedchuk, commemorated Unity Day (Den of state of the Vatican Metropolitan Volodymyr said the current Sobornosty) in Ukraine on January 22 by placing wreaths at the memorial to That same day a Vatican spokesman poor relations between Ukrainian Greek- Mykhailo Hrushevsky in Kyiv. Prof. Hrushevsky headed the Ukrainian Central issued a statement reconfirming the pope’s Catholics and Ukrainian Orthodox faithful Rada, which on that date in 1918 declared the first independent Ukrainian state plans in light of the complaint from the in western Ukraine are the main reason he of the modern era. Exactly a year later, the two-month-old Western Ukrainian UOC-MP, which is part of the Russian opposes the scheduled visit. National Republic united with the Kyiv-based Ukrainian National Republic led by Orthodox Church and continues to claim The head of the UOC-MP also expressed President Hrushevsky. Speaking during the ceremony commemorating the millions of faithful in Ukraine. The state- concern that the pontiff would meet with 82nd anniversary of that event, Dr. Zhulynskyi called unity and statehood ment explained that the 86-year-old pontiff Ukraine’s paramount achievements of the 20th century. “will meet with Ukrainian Catholics, and he (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2001 No. 4 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS The nationality question Ukrainian right-wing forces unite Ukraine, Russia agree on joint projects KYIV – Some 30 political parties and KYIV – Russian Defense Minister Igor and Russian foreign policy public associations have created a union Sergeev meeting on January 18 in Kyiv by Paul A. Goble and abroad. of national democratic forces called the with his Ukrainian counterpart, RFE/RL Newsline The first of these issues, Mr. Igoshin Ukrainian Right Wing (Ukrainska Oleksander Kuzmuk, signed a cooperation says, involves “the support of the Pravytsia), Interfax reported on January plan on 52 joint projects in 2001, Interfax A Russian foreign policy analyst has Russian-language population in the for- 21. In particular, the union includes the and ITAR-TASS reported. In particular, urged Moscow to use its nationality poli- mer Soviet republics.” This is in the first Rukh, the Fatherland Party, the the accord foresees the creation of a joint- cies at home to promote its foreign poli- instance a moral and ethical requirement Ukrainian Republican Party, the command post in Sevastopol and a joint cy goals. But he has warned that the because these people who were native to Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, rescue detachment of the currently divid- Russian government must at the same Russia were “practically thrown to their and the Ukrainian Kozaks. The union’s ed Black Sea Fleet. “Russia is categorical- time take into consideration certain for- fates” in the early 1990s. declared goal is to coordinate efforts for ly against NATO’s expansion to the East,” eign policy challenges when dealing with But, he adds, “this problem has anoth- “embodying the Ukrainian national idea” Minister Sergeev said after his talks with its domestic ethnic minorities.