BRAMA, Sep 2, 2005, 10:00 am ET
Press release
UAOC issues strong condemnation of anti-semitism
Bishop Paul Peter Jesep, Chancellor of the Archeparchy, Episcopal Vicar for South America and Synellus of Public Affairs and Government Relations of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of North and South America and the Diaspora strongly condemned the August 28th assault of two Jewish students in Kyiv by a group of young Fascists. On August 31st the Kyiv Post reported that one of the students remained in a coma clinging to life.
"It is intolerable that children of God be attacked. It was vicious, mindless and inexcusable," His Excellency said. "Although President Viktor Yuschenko should be applauded for publicly expressing outrage, the tragedy speaks to a larger issue of how human rights and civil liberties for all Ukrainians are safeguarded. In the past several months other Jewish citizens have been attacked in Kyiv. This is an insult to God."
According to Bishop Paul Peter, "Aggressive prosecution of hate crimes is the obvious response, but there must be a long-term, coordinated strategy by the government and Christian leaders to educate and combat this grotesque evil in Ukraine."
His Excellency added, "Ukrainian Jews are equal members of society contributing to Ukraine's vitality, creativity and rich, beautiful heritage. Nothing should deter the Yuschenko Administration from addressing the underlying causes of anti-Semitism or other hate crimes."
"Any attack on a Jewish citizen is an attack on the entire Ukrainian nation," Bishop Paul Peter said. "If a democratic Ukraine cannot commit itself to aggressively stopping such ugly crimes and show the national maturity to openly and honestly discuss why they happen then liberty and freedom are meaningless words."
"It is especially important," His Excellency underscored, "that all Christian leaders express their disgust with anti-Semitism. It is their moral responsibility to defend all of God's children. Anyone who doesn't offends the Creator by complacency and indifference and should be judged accordingly by God."
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Related:
Apr 22 12 - Op-ed: Aiding and Abetting the Moscow Patriarchate
Mar 23 12 - Friends of Ukraine Take Action
Feb 24 12 - Will Ukraine have Its First Modern Political Martyr?
Jan 23 12 - Holocaust Remembrance Day
Dec 30 11 - Ukrainian World Praise for Major Archbishop Shevchuk
Dec 21 11 - Lessons from Muscovy
Aug 10 11 - Russian Truth
Apr 14 11 - President Yanukovych's Chance to Show Leadership
Mar 14 11 - An Open Letter to Viktor Yanukovych
Aug 27 10 - Independent Ukraine 2010
Jan 31 10 - Remembering Ukraine's Jews
Jan 15 10 - Orange Forever!
Aug 27 09 - UAOC Mourns the Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy
Jan 14 08 - UAOC Bishop Condemns United Fatherland and Union of Orthodox Citizens
Oct 25 07 - Bishop calls for Annual Holocaust Memorial Day
May 28 07 - Priests try to end anti-Semitism
Feb 12 07 - Statement on Anti-Semitism
Feb 5 07 - Kyiv Patriarchate Appoints U.S. Director of Public Affairs
Nov 23 05 - Archbishop Husar's Orange Revolution of Faith
Sep 12 05 - Yushchenko showed leadership
Sep 7 05 - Metropolitan Mefodiy of Kyiv to visit America
Sep 2 05 - UAOC issues strong condemnation of anti-semitism
Apr 28 05 - Yushchenko at the Kennedy Library
Apr 1 05 - Diaspora rebirth begins in dialogue
Mar 11 05 - The Politics of Orthodoxy
Feb 11 05 - The Diaspora's Future
Jan 21 05 - Ukraine, Orthodoxy, and the Greek Prelate
Dec 22 04 - Has the Diaspora failed? Can more be done?
Dec 22 04 - Russia will not leave Ukraine alone
Dec 14 04 - God, Faith and the Orange Revolution
Dec 8 04 - Ukraine must run the extra mile
Dec 1 04 - Cage the Russian Circus Bear
Nov 24 04 - Support liberty - Practical things you can do
Nov 22 04 - Ukraine's Election - NOW WHAT?
Oct 11 04 - Catholic Patriarchate in Kyiv
Sep 29 04 - Kuchma and the American presidential election
Aug 13 04 - Op-ed: Foreign churches cannot dictate a unilateral non-Ukrainian spirituality in Ukraine (Patriarch Filaret and Ukrainian Spirituality)
Jul 26 04 - Op-ed: Viktor Yushchenko and Ukraine's future (Ukraine needs a patriot as its next leader)
Mar 18 04 - Ukrainian influence in the 2004 American presidential election
Email: VladykaPaulPeter(at)aol.com.
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