Patriarch Lubomyr on the situation in Odesa: ‘If the authority makes an unacceptable decision for us, let it be deservingly explained’

Thursday, 23 September 2010, 21:39

The head of the UGCC Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar) commented on the situation regarding the building of a UGCC church in Odesa in an interview for UNIAN. “Currently there are two matters. The first one is to listen to the public: the locals must express their opinions about the benefit, or vice versa, of a church. Although, as far as we know, such a procedure will not take place…After this the city authority must make its final decision. What will it be? It is very difficult to predict. The authority may listen to some opponents and say no, or it may also consider, and to think about how it wants to be seen in the eyes of decent people. I do not think that our people are already so shocked that they can not evaluate the action of the authority,” said the head of the UGCC.

The head of the UGCC Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar) commented on the situation regarding the building of a UGCC church in Odesa in an interview for UNIAN. “Currently there are two matters. The first one is to listen to the public: the locals must express their opinions about the benefit, or vice versa, of a church. Although, as far as we know, such a procedure will not take place…After this the city authority must make its final decision. What will it be? It is very difficult to predict. The authority may listen to some opponents and say no, or it may also consider, and to think about how it wants to be seen in the eyes of decent people. I do not think that our people are already so shocked that they can not evaluate the action of the authority,” said the head of the UGCC. He also said that the authority does not necessarily have to take one side, but should simply abide by the law. “If the authority makes an unacceptable decision for us, let it be deservingly explained,” said the patriarch. At the same time the head of the UGCC said that he did not consider Metropolitan Agafangel an enemy. “I dislike what he does. But I am not about to judge him. I am not about to call him our enemy, but I am trying to understand him,” explained Patriarch Lubomyr. “This is not an extraordinary case for me. I don’t consider it necessary to be a great psychologist or analyst to understand what is going on here.” A few days ago the signatures of all the bishops of UGCC accompanied an appeal to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych asking him to stop interdenominational enmity in Ukraine. However the deputy head of the Presidential Administration Hanna Herman said that “the authority does not feel competent in such cases because it sees the situation as simply a dispute between churches.” “I sincerely hope that sooner or later, and the sooner the better, someone more competent will give a more thorough glance at this situation, by the eyes of a citizen and not of a politician,” the stated the head of UGCC.

Information Department of UGCC

To watch the fragments of the press-conference of His Beatitude Lubomyr about the appeal of Synod of Bishops UGCC to the President of Ukraine on occasion of inter-confessional situation in Odesa