Posted by Yash on September 03, 2000 at 23:59:48:
In Reply to: Re: President Leonid Kuchma posted by Slawko on September 03, 2000 at 18:16:51:
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: : : HE Should care more about UKRAINE and The Ukrainian Ortodox Church ,Kiev Patriarch Filaret ,and not be WISHY_WASHY. HE SHOULD SUPPORT VICTOR YUSCHENKO .and not the MP Church .SLAVA UKRAINI
: : I agree. Ukraine is no longer under Russian occupation. All Ukrainian Orthodox churches and property should be immediately returned to Kyiv or simply taken back while expelling any priest who will not transfer alliance to Kyiv. Millions of dollars are sucked up by Moscow through the church every year. Furthermore one half of all of Moscow's financial holdings should be given to Kyiv as well. I do not advocate torturing and murdering scores of clergy as Moscow did (including the killing of tens of millions of people over a few centuries)but I do believe that Ukraine/Kuchma should pass and enforce laws to return all churches back to Ukrainian jurisdiction. But while churches are being returned let's also ensure that those churches that were built by our Ukrainian Catholic brothers-in-arms are returned to them as well.
: You think its Mr.Kuchma's job to mix in church affairs?People go to churches and support MP not Mr.Kuchma.That could have been done 1991 but not now,do you realize how West and Russia would react to action like that.It is free country and government don't do this or such thing just take away from and give to onother even if (Mr.Kuchma cared he can't do this).It depend's on-for-by-with people,people and PEOPLE.
It could be done now just as it could have been done in 1991. The west would be just as supportive of Ukraine as the Baltic States where all of the institutions are being nationalized and the only complaints come from the former Russian masters. Western leaders are probably generally aware of the horrible murderous way that the Russian church was forced upon Ukraine and would be indifferent if not supportive. In the spirit of truth and justice the American people would be predominantly suportive of returning the instution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and church property back to Kyiv. The Russian church leaders are not truly religious if they want to keep for themselves what was robbed from Ukraine. Moscow should be more concerned about what others think about them. If Moscow was truly Christian then they would themselves transfer the church back to Kyiv.