The Bishops' Conference of Germany assured Ukraine in support

The Bishop assured of a good awareness of the situation in Ukraine. "We, Germans, having bitter experience with both brown and red dictatorship, shared your joy regarding the overthrow of the regime, which was based not least on corruption and felt obliged to the separate oligarchs, but not the good of society" - He said.

According to Him, "the striking Ukrainian aspirations for democracy, freedom, legal statehood and national self-determination in the common European home is endangered from outside because of the war being waged secretly, obscuring under the external forms of civil war".

The Bishop expressed His hope that, in spite of systematic destabilization on the part of Russia, we will soon be able to organize independent and fair parliamentary elections. "However, these hopes are marred with a growing threat that the conflict that has been still conducted secretly, every moment can be rapidly turned into the open war" – the representative of Bishops' Conference of Germany expressed His apprehension.

He marked the great role of the Catholic Church in Maidan support. When the internal conflict turned into the outside one, the pastoral care of the Church has not been addressed to the demonstrators, but to the soldiers.

"One of the strengths of the UGCC is the recognition of the central importance of the parish not only for the religious, but also for the social life of your country. I am convinced that "Renovabis" will continue to support related pastoral projects and initiatives. It will also include the efforts in the area of reconciliation and healing the spiritual wounds that are applied today. The pastoral care will increasingly include the assistance in overcoming the mental traumas. Here we are also happy to offer support of the Church in Germany", - stressed Bishop Stephan Ackermann.

At the same time Bishop Stephan Ackerman regretted neither He nor the Catholic Church in Germany is unable to influence the situation in Ukraine. "Me and the Catholic Church in Germany are overfilled with shame and sorrow because we have to watch the suffering and are not able to change anything in their causes. Of course, we condemned the annexation of the Crimea as contradictious to the international law. Of course, we appeal to the politicians of our country to remind the countries, which are warrantors of Memorandum of 1994, about their responsibility to guarantee the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. But, specifically we, the Church in Germany, can only intercede and support the Church in your country", - He said.

The representative of the German Bishops' Conference conveyed the greetings and wishes of God's blessing from the  Head of the Bishops’ Conference of German Cardinal Reinhard Marx.

UGCC Department of Information

Appendix:

 Welcoming word of Bishop Dr. Stephan Ackermann, the representative of the German Bishops' Conference to the

the Synod of Bishops of UGCC

Your Beatitude,

Your Excellency, the Dearest Supreme Archbishop!

Dear brothers in the episcopal ministry!

It is my great honor and pleasure that I, as a representative of the German Bishops' Conference, now have the opportunity to be together with you at the opening of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. I give you sincere congratulations and wish of God's blessing from the Head of the Bishops' Conference of Germany Cardinal Reinhardt Marx, to which I add my own wishes and wishes of all the members of the German Bishops' Conference. In the face of severe and oppressive situation in which at the moment your country and your church is, let these wishes of God's blessings will be for you the first sign of sympathy and solidarity of the entire Catholic Church in Germany.

Not only through daily television broadcasts and media reports, but also through various relationships between people of our countries, we know what a terrible twist got worth of admiration democratic movement in Ukraine. So your recent appeal to the churches and all the people of good will, Your Beatitude, will not remain unaddressed.

Close relationship between our countries and churches assist not only numerous Ukrainian workers, but 9000 Ukrainian students, who come each year to Germany, building a bridge of our friendly relations. Your Eminence, we are happy to remember your visit to Germany in February 2012, during which you, in particular, met  then President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Germany, and his current successor, Cardinal Reinhard Marx. I myself is the successor of Cardinal Marx as the bishop of Trier and manage the diocese, which has worked closely for many years with Ivano-Frankivsk Archdiocese to create local "Caritas" and the Maltese Help Service – a part of our church mission in which the Church, in view of the current situation, should manifest itself in a special way. I'm happy with my last year's meeting with Metropolitan Volodymyr Viytyshyn.

After the creation of an independent state in 1991 and after the so-called "Orange Revolution" in 2004, in winter 2013-2014 the Ukrainians for the third time - and even more unanimously and convincingly - expressed their yearning for freedom, democracy, human rights and legal statehood during the "revolution of dignity". We, Germans, having bitter experience with both brown and red dictatorship, shared your joy regarding the overthrow of the regime, which was based not least on corruption and felt obliged to the separate oligarchs, but not the good of society.

Our common joy did not last long. If the winners of the "Orange Revolution" deprived themselves of chances for democratic renewal through discord and particular interests, so nowadays the impressive Ukrainian aspirations for democracy, freedom, legal statehood and national self-determination in the common European home is endangered from outside because of the war being waged secretly, obscuring under the external forms of civil war. Despite all the threats Ukraine received the legitimate President of Ukraine through free and democratic elections. However, we continue to hope that, contrary to the systematic destabilization on the part of Russia, we will soon be able to arrange general, free and fair elections in order to update the democratic political and constitutional guarantees of the country. But these hopes are marred with a growing threat that the conflict that has been still conducted secretly, every moment can be rapidly turned into the open war.

The Greek Catholic Church and other churches in Ukraine supported and nourished spiritually the brave protesters on Maidan. They also contributed to the fact that a dangerous conflict with the state would not have been escalated further. As a result they have achieved great success and gained great influence far beyond Ukraine that will help them to resist new challenges. After the internal conflict turned into the outside one, their pastoral care has not been addressed to the demonstrators, but to the soldiers. Today more and more people are dying, even those who do not fight. Along with the dead soldiers we have to mourn more hostages, victims of torture and murder, and more civilians who found their death under the bombs just because of living at the intersection of inner and outer conflicts.

Dear brothers in the episcopal ministry, the Catholic Church in Germany and me are overwhelmed with shame and sorrow because we have to watch the suffering and we are not able to change anything in their causes. Of course, we condemned the annexation of the Crimea as contractious to the international law. Of course, we appeal to the politicians of our country to remind the countries, which are warrantors of Memorandum of 1994, about their responsibility to guarantee the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. But specifically, we, the Church in Germany, can only intercede and support the Church in your country. What we are doing through charity organization "Renovabis" and with the help of many dioceses for almost two decades for the Church in Ukraine, you know. What new measures are needed and how we can support them, this is as far as I know, has already been discussed.

The Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine is an important efficient subject in the development of an effective civil society. It can and it will help and ensure to maintain and reinforce the realization that politics and society are obliged to care of the public good. But it needs a legal status that would protect and guarantee it not only its liturgical function, but also its social activity. If within the framework of further development it has come to change the existing or the creation of a new constitution, it would be a good opportunity to finally give the Church a clear and guaranteed legal status. This requires preparatory lobbying and education work in social and political space, which we are ready to support meaningfully and with the staff.

One of the strengths of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, is the recognition of the central importance of the parish not only for the religious, but also for the social life in your country. I believe that "Renovabis" will continue to support related pastoral projects and initiatives. It will also include efforts in the area of reconciliation and healing spiritual wounds that are applied today. The pastoral care will increasingly include the assistance in overcoming the mental traumas. Here we are also happy to offer support of the Church in Germany.

Your Excellency, Archbishop, dear brothers! Thank you for the opportunity to address you today, and I want to assure you that in these evil days we will assist and support you and all your faithful  with our prayers. May God hear our prayers and send you and Ukraine the desired inner and outer peace.