Lutsenko goes on trial - The Ukrainian Weekly
Lutsenko goes on trial - The Ukrainian Weekly
Lutsenko goes on trial - The Ukrainian Weekly
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No. 22THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 29, 20117LETTERS TO THE EDITORWho is to blamefor ‘khamokratiya’?Dear Editor:Re: “Khamokratiya” in Ukraine: (May8), who is to blame for this state of affairs?Oksana Zabuzhko’s term “khamokratiya”is an apt word to describe the currentsituati<strong>on</strong> in Ukraine. But it should beremembered how she c<strong>on</strong>tributed to theelecti<strong>on</strong> of the current president during thecrucial 2010 period.Following Viktor Yushchenko’s statementthat “there is no difference between[Viktor] Yanukovych and [Yulia]Tymoshenko,” Ms. Zabuzhko campaignedvigorously to c<strong>on</strong>vince the voters that thebest choice is to vote “against all.”This Tymoshenkophobia resulted inwhat we have now in Ukraine.Our patriarchate,Rome and MoscowDear Editor:Roman Tratch, Ph.D.Penfield, N.Y.In <strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> issue of April10, a lead article notes that MajorArchbishop Sviatoslav did not ask PopeBenedict XVI to grant the Church partiarchalstatus. This is disappointing but notsurprising, for the proverbial elephant inthe room is the patriarch of Moscow.I c<strong>on</strong>tinue to believe that Pope BenedictXVI has Moscow at the top of his agendafor rec<strong>on</strong>ciliati<strong>on</strong> and visitati<strong>on</strong>. MakingMajor Archbishop Sviatoslav patriarchand visiting Kyiv before Moscow wouldundermine this delicate balancing actbetween the two sees. Moscow takes precedenceover Kyiv. It’s as simple as that.But why wait for Rome to act? Let thepeople speak and bestow the title <strong>on</strong> themajor archbishop as in the old days, for“He is worthy!” “Axios!”It seems that there is <strong>on</strong>ly <strong>on</strong>e way tokeep Moscow from meddling in the affairsof the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Church, and that is forthe <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Greek-Catholic Church andthe <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Orthodox Church to recognizeeach other in communi<strong>on</strong> with bothC<strong>on</strong>stantinople and Rome. This is anexciting c<strong>on</strong>cept not <strong>on</strong>ly for Ukraine butwould be precedent-setting and a modelfor ecumenism in the Christian world.This acti<strong>on</strong> would also free Moscow tospend more time <strong>on</strong> its own affairs.I look forward to the new and excitingpossibilities for the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Church withthe new major archbishop in the positi<strong>on</strong>of leadershipFather Michael FillPhiladelphiaLearning less<strong>on</strong>sfrom the pastDear Editor:Who are the <strong>Ukrainian</strong>s in Ukraine?Why have we failed to learn a less<strong>on</strong> fromthe past?Day after day, we hear bad news comingfrom Ukraine, and apparently there is noend in sight; maybe the worst is still tocome. Although we, the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> diaspora,and the people in Ukraine call ourselves<strong>Ukrainian</strong>s, we need to face the fact thatwe and they are totally different people.In accordance with Moscow’s wishes,we are faced with the fact that the“Malorosy,” “Sovietchyky,” native Russians,Communists and members of theParty ofRegi<strong>on</strong> have the upper hand in rulingUkraine.Hence, it is bey<strong>on</strong>d my comprehensi<strong>on</strong>why the U.S.-Ukraine Foundati<strong>on</strong> and the<strong>Ukrainian</strong> American Coordinating Councilarranged a meeting <strong>on</strong> May 4 in Washingt<strong>on</strong>between the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> American communityand nati<strong>on</strong>al deputies of the Party ofRegi<strong>on</strong>s (<strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong>, May 15).Did they expect truth from members ofthe Party of Regi<strong>on</strong>s? Haven’t we learnedthat they would send the best spin doctorsto the U.S.? Why provide a stage for theParty of Regi<strong>on</strong>s to use U.S. soil for liesand propaganda? Haven’t we learnedenough from the <strong>Ukrainian</strong> ambassador?Please, please, some<strong>on</strong>e answer (facts<strong>on</strong>ly).Jerry ZinyczVenice, Fla.Malicious attacksagainst <strong>Ukrainian</strong>sDear Editor:As Ukraine approaches its 20th anniversaryof independence and freedom fromcenturies-l<strong>on</strong>g occupati<strong>on</strong>, relentlessRussificati<strong>on</strong>, and terror and genocide, ithas again become a victim of maliciousattacks by the Kremlin with the support ofCommunist infiltrated elements in its owngovernment, which has openly introducedUkrainophobic policies to undermine thecountry’s independence and the democraticprocesses that have already taken root.It appears, that c<strong>on</strong>trary to the hopes andaspirati<strong>on</strong>s of its people, Ukraine has founditself again <strong>on</strong> the verge of loosing all it hasgained – during the previous administrati<strong>on</strong>sand is now in danger again of becoming avassal-state of Russia and a victim of its greatpower-imperial chauvinistic aspirati<strong>on</strong>s.<strong>The</strong> nati<strong>on</strong>ally c<strong>on</strong>scious democraticoppositi<strong>on</strong> to the policies of the presentgovernment is openly and systematicallysuppressed and its leaders threatened withincarcerati<strong>on</strong>.Ukraine and its people have <strong>on</strong>ly <strong>on</strong>edesire: to be free and live in peace and harm<strong>on</strong>ywith other nati<strong>on</strong>s. Regrettably, however,now, some of the “freedom-loving”Western democracies, instead of standingsolidly in support of Ukraine’s freedom anddemocratic processes, have chosen instead,for the sake of their own selfish interests, tojoin the Kremlin’s chorus and spreadunfounded and malicious falsehoods andfear. <strong>The</strong> patriotism and desire of a nati<strong>on</strong>to be free of foreign occupati<strong>on</strong> is equatedwith fascism and neo-Nazism.Ukraine and its people have sufferedl<strong>on</strong>g enough under a foreign yoke. <strong>The</strong>yhave no desire to dominate or enslave othernati<strong>on</strong>s, and they do not want to become apart of any new Russian club.Lubomyr PawlowychUni<strong>on</strong>, N.J.We welcome your opini<strong>on</strong><strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> welcomes lettersto the editor and commentaries <strong>on</strong> a varietyof topics of c<strong>on</strong>cern to the <strong>Ukrainian</strong>American and <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Canadian communities.Opini<strong>on</strong>s expressed by columnists,commentators and letter-writers aretheir own and do not necessarily reflectthe opini<strong>on</strong>s of either <strong>The</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> editorialstaff or its publisher, the <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Nati<strong>on</strong>al Associati<strong>on</strong>.Letters should be typed and signed (an<strong>on</strong>ymousletters are not published). Letters areaccepted also via e-mail at staff@ukrweekly.com.<strong>The</strong> daytime ph<strong>on</strong>e number andaddress of the letter-writer must be givenfor verificati<strong>on</strong> purposes. Please note that adaytime ph<strong>on</strong>e number is essential in orderfor editors to c<strong>on</strong>tact letter-writers regardingclarificati<strong>on</strong>s or questi<strong>on</strong>s.Please note: THE LENGTH OF LETTERSCANNOT EXCEED 500 WORDS.Who will bury us?Will there be a priest to bury us whenwe die? For younger <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Catholics,at least, the statistics raise some doubt.<strong>The</strong> overall number of Catholic priests inthe United States has fallen from 56,540in 1963 to 40,788 in 2010. For <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Catholics, the number has also declined.In 1958, there were nearly 300 <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Catholic priests in the United States; for2010, the Vatican yearbook yields a figureof 215.Things are not much better in theRuthenian Greek-Catholic Church. <strong>The</strong>number of Byzantine Catholic priests hasfallen from 265 in the peak year of 1965,to 223 today (Joseph B<strong>on</strong>ch<strong>on</strong>sky,ABCRC No. 196). <strong>The</strong> situati<strong>on</strong> in the<strong>Ukrainian</strong> Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.is similar. According to the Associati<strong>on</strong> ofReligi<strong>on</strong> Data Archives, the Churchreported 130 clergy in 1965; by 2006,they numbered <strong>on</strong>ly 114.More indicative of future trends is thenumber of seminarians. Between 1963 and2010, the number of Catholic seminariansin the United States plummeted from47,574 to 5,131. In 2010, <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Catholic seminarians in the U.S. numbered33; in Canada, eleven. Between 2005 and2010, seven graduates of St. Basil’sSeminary were ordained. Am<strong>on</strong>gByzantine Catholics, the Pittsburgh seminaryreached a peak of 111 seminarians in1962; by 2010, they were down to 10.Since 2003, they have averaged fewer thantwo ordinati<strong>on</strong>s per year. (ABCRC No.196).But absolute numbers are not thewhole story. <strong>The</strong> ratio of priests to faithfulalso matters. For U.S. Catholics overall,the availability of pastoral care has diminished:in 1963 a single Catholic priestserved, <strong>on</strong> the average, 776 faithful; in2010, he would have to suffice for 1,680.<strong>Ukrainian</strong> Catholic figures for 2010 aremuch better, yielding a ratio of about <strong>on</strong>epriest per 280 faithful in the U.S.; forCanada, <strong>on</strong>e priest for about 634.<strong>The</strong>se positive ratios, however, resultfrom a shrinking number of faithful. In1916, there were some 500,000 <strong>Ukrainian</strong>Greek-Catholics in the U.S. By 1965,with post-war immigrati<strong>on</strong> as a counterweightto assimilati<strong>on</strong>, this number hadrisen to 593,000. But by 2010 it had fallenby over 90 percent, to 53,000 (RomaHayda, “Choho My Navchylysia VidChotyriokh Khvyl Emihratsiyi do SShA?”Patriiarkhat, No. 6 [November-December2010], pp. 19, 21). <strong>The</strong> 20 years from1990 to 2010 al<strong>on</strong>e show a decline of over50 percent; in Canada, similarly, thedecline for the same period is nearly half(Annuario P<strong>on</strong>tificio 2010). ByzantineCatholics have experienced a comparabletrend: from 316,947 faithful in 1965, to280,064 in 1986, to 87,436 in 2010(ABCRC No. 196).<strong>The</strong> <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Orthodox Church of theU.S.A. had 87,250 faithful in 1965; by2006, this had fallen to 50,000.In terms of supply and demand, then,the problem is solving itself: fewer faithfulneed fewer clergy. But the disappearanceof our organized religious life shouldc<strong>on</strong>cern us. We are not <strong>on</strong>ly losing aprime element of our <strong>Ukrainian</strong> identity;we are dying a collective spiritual death.Currently, many <strong>Ukrainian</strong> Catholicparishes in the United States are served bypriests from Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil orelsewhere. But these countries need clergyfor their own faithful. And even thebest foreign pastor may not always understandthe needs of parishi<strong>on</strong>ers in an alienculture. A healthy, sustainable Churchdoes not depend <strong>on</strong> imported clergy.Can we, then, revive priestly vocati<strong>on</strong>s?Only if we revive the Church itself:that is, the entire body of the faithful. Ifpriesthood is not esteemed and encouraged<strong>on</strong> the levels of family, parish andcommunity, individuals with a calling arelikely to ignore it.But vocati<strong>on</strong>s are usually discerned in<strong>on</strong>e’s college years. C<strong>on</strong>versely, those arethe years when many lose their faith. Forthis reas<strong>on</strong>, we need an Eastern Catholicinstituti<strong>on</strong> of higher educati<strong>on</strong> that willnurture vocati<strong>on</strong>s – both priestly andm<strong>on</strong>astic. And since our decline encompassesthe laity as well as the clergy, thisinstituti<strong>on</strong> must also educate active, committedlaymen and women. It should notcreate a clerical ghetto, but offer the samebasic program for all. And like the<strong>Ukrainian</strong> Catholic University in Lviv, itshould welcome Orthodox as well asCatholics.To be financially viable, as well asintellectually comprehensive, this EasternCatholic college would not be limited to a<strong>Ukrainian</strong> identity. It would teach all themajor Christian traditi<strong>on</strong>s: Byzantine,Antiochene, Chaldean, Armenian andAlexandrian as well as Latin. Courseswould be offered in the Greek, ChurchSlav<strong>on</strong>ic, Arabic and Latin liturgical languages.This would create a broad demographicbase, while creating a fascinatingcultural meeting-place for students andfaculty alike.What kind of students would such aninstituti<strong>on</strong> attract? Not the c<strong>on</strong>formists ofyesteryear. <strong>The</strong>y would questi<strong>on</strong> the selectivemorality and the nihilism of c<strong>on</strong>temporarysociety, realizing that <strong>on</strong>e cannotdivorce pers<strong>on</strong>al from social ethics. <strong>The</strong>ywould understand that self-discipline, notself-indulgence, brings genuine freedom.<strong>The</strong>se students would have the intelligenceto see through the trite and mendaciousvalues of mass culture.<strong>The</strong>y would resist the twin temptati<strong>on</strong>sto make an idol of traditi<strong>on</strong>, or a fetish ofmodernity, but would seek the best ofboth, always with an eye to truth. Andthey would understand that they need notaccept the definiti<strong>on</strong> of modernity propagatedby the c<strong>on</strong>temporary West. Enrichedby the several Eastern Christian traditi<strong>on</strong>s,they would have the imaginati<strong>on</strong> to c<strong>on</strong>structan alternative visi<strong>on</strong> of modernity,and the commitment to live it out.Finally, as future clergy and laity livingin a post-modern age that is afraid toapproach the big questi<strong>on</strong>s, they wouldhave the courage to ask those questi<strong>on</strong>sand find the answers.Such a college could be founded <strong>on</strong> thebasis of <strong>on</strong>e or more existing instituti<strong>on</strong>s.<strong>The</strong> project would require three elements:a major source of funding; committededucators; and a community of parentsand students ready to participate in a daringenterprise. But first of all, it wouldrequire bold, imaginative and far-sightedchurchmen and women. Are they up to thechallenge?If not, we may end up burying ourselves.Andrew Sorokowski can be reached atsamboritanus@hotmail.com.