BRAMA, December 27, 2000, 10:00am EST

Ukrainians Outraged Over Washington Post's Religious Intolerance
The Washington Group Speaks Out

ALEXANDRIA, VA - The Christmas Eve edition of the Washington Post carried a column in its Style section (p. F3) that made a sacrilegious comparison between the sacred Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church and the "Bates motel" from the movie "Psycho."

"It is extremely unfortunate that during this most blessed time of year, the Washington Post permitted such an irreverent remark in one of its published articles," said Ihor Kotlarchuk, president of The Washington Group (TWG), [www.TheWashingtonGroup.org] an association of Ukrainian-American professionals who live throughout the United States and around the world.

In a Post column, "United (Denomi)Nations," contributor Josh Gibson started out by promising the paper's readers an article about the "diversity of this religious architecture" found on New Hampshire Avenue, in the Washington, DC, area. Instead, after referencing several places of worship found along that road, he desecrated the revered Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church by attempting to compare it to the "Bates motel" featured in the thriller "Psycho."

"Nothing could be farther from the truth and more disgraceful. The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, with its unique hand-crafted wood carving reflecting the ancient Hutzul (Carpathian) mountain region folk church design of Western Ukraine, is a very holy place for many area Ukrainian-Americans," said Andy Szul Jr., TWG's public relations director.

"I'm pleased that at least Mr. Gibson did not make such horrible references of any other religious group's place of worship in his article,'' said Szul. ''It’s regrettable that the Washington Post editors allowed such an awful comparison of the Ukrainian sacred church."

On a positive note, the upcoming traditional Ukrainian Christmas festivities (January 6-8) offer the media a unique opportunity to inform its readers and viewers about the rich and ancient Ukrainian cultural traditions and religious values.

The Washington Group [www.TheWashingtonGroup.org] is an association of Ukrainian-American professionals who live throughout the United States and around the world.

The Washington Group
P.O. Box 11248
Washington, D.C. 20008

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