UGCC Bishops appeal not to succumb to political manipulations around the Volyn tragedy

Synod of Bishops of Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in its Appeal to Faithful and All People of Goodwill on the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy urges a cessation of political manipulations regarding this dramatic page of history and a mutual forgiveness by both nations.

UGCC Bishops are troubled by the fact that the “politically motivated manipulation of the circumstances of this tragedy and the obstinate irreconcilability of human hearts among individuals or groups can only ignite      the turned down flames of international hostility. “

The Appeal states that historians still need to do an enormous amount of work in order to shed light on all the circumstances and terrifying details of the course of  Ukrainian-Polish  confrontation and blood shedding, their bitter aftermath as well as to establish the names of those who suffered.  Yet, there is no doubt that before God there are no excuses for even a single innocent life lost and even the slightest harm done.

“The killing of brothers during 1942-43 in Volyn demands first of all a Christian evaluation…   The Christian evaluation of the Volyn tragedy, as well as injustices in the relation between Ukrainians and Poles, which preceded or were caused by it, demands from us a definite condemnation.  From the Christian point of view, censured are the policies that were directed at depriving  Ukrainians of the right to self-identity in their own native land as well as the armed violence towards the Polish residents of Volyn,”  underlines the statement.

The Bishops emphasize that the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church wants “to continue the reconciliation of two brotherly nations – Polish and Ukrainian – for the sake of mutual forgiveness and in the name of justice.”  The authors of the  document support the  appeal of the  All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, contained in its declaration “Knowledge of the past – a path towards the future”  (dated October 3, 2012 ), which discusses the necessity of resisting religious and international conflicts.  “And we should do this as evidence of good examples of cooperation, mutual respect, understanding and support among representatives of various nations and religions, as well as the study, contemplation and spreading of truth about the past,” stated the Appeal of the Bishops.

UGCC Department of Information