On the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, 12 July 2013 (according to the Julian calendar used in the Eastern Church), the Episcopal consecration will be held in the Monastery Church of the Nativity of Christ in Drohobych. The consecrator will be Archbishop Marcian OSBMr, Head of the UO GCC, and the co-consecrators will be the Bishops of the UO GCC.

The candidate for the episcopate is the monk-priest Demetrius Andrew Karpa OSBMr.

He joined the Basilian Order in 2000. He finished theological studies in Rome and underwent sound theological and spiritual formation in Lvov-Bryukhovychi. He was ordained a priest by the deceased Archbishop Michael in Lvov-Bryukhovychi.

Several organizations announced a peaceful demonstration against the planned gay pride parade on 25 May 2013 in Kiev. Gay parade is unlawful because it violates the Constitution of Ukraine. It is an ideological breakthrough in establishing a system of moral, spiritual and physical autogenocide. The organizations that raised a protest included Orthodox organizations, Protestant organizations, the civic organization “Association of Believers of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek Catholic Church” and others.

The aim of diverse LGBT groups was to push through the so-called Antidiscrimination Act № 2342 under which all gay parade opponents could practically be imprisoned.

Lvov (Ukraine), 6 May 2013

In order to guarantee liberties and rights of sexual minorities it is necessary to address their position in the State adequately. Therefore, we propose a bill with the following content:

A part of Ukraine shall be admeasured, proportional to the number of the persons concerned who wish to implement in full freedom all laws, draft laws based on conventions, recommendations and resolutions of the UN, EU and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the rights of sexual minorities and all anti-discrimination laws promoting gender ideology, LGBT rights and juvenile laws.

Lvov (Ukraine), 13 March 2013

We live in one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Church and humankind. Christians as well as unbelievers expected You as closest assistants of the Popes to proclaim the word of truth which could bring the nations to Christ. However, they did not hear it from You.

Many times You killed Christ and vilified His Holy Name! You are multiple murderers of the truth and the Gospel! You have sinned against the Holy Spirit!

In past years, we appealed to You for repentance of the crimes inside the Church. But You did not want to hear our voice. By Your hypocritical silence You condemned the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in the Church to death like the high priests, Pharisees and Sadducees. You have become a privileged caste which proclaims a false gospel and shelters itself behind divine authority in pursuit of its own goals.

6 August 2012

Catherine Ashton

High Representative of the Union

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Madam,

we are a civic organization “Association of the believers of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek Catholic Church” addressing You with a request concerning a scandalous case of gross violation of human rights.

On Wednesday 1 August 2012, civic organizations that belong to the religious minority of the UO GCC (Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church) organized a peaceful prayer demonstration in Drohobych, Ukraine, on the occasion of the anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus. During the peaceful demonstration Drohobych police (Pavuk, chief of police), without any reason, arrested two activists! On the very same day they were sentenced in a show trial and imprisoned (a term of 10 and 15 days)! The police committed a crime on innocent citizens of Ukraine! It has become an instrument of the hierarchy of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church) by whom the religious minority of orthodox Catholics is viewed as a hated competitor.

Lvov (Ukraine), 19 July 2012

Catherine Ashton

High Representative of the Union

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Dear Madam,

the European Union appointed You a commissioner to supervise the observance of human rights in Ukraine, in particular relating to discrimination against minorities and freedom of speech.

Our minority Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UO GCC) has already for three years been subject to religious discrimination and prevented from being granted legal registration at the Ministry of Culture under artificial pretexts. In fact, the motive therefor is the competitive position of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) which does not wish our existence. Our Church has about 5,000 believers and is currently facing inflammation of religious enmity among the masses through the mass media.

Lvov (Ukraine), 10 July 2012

Msgr. Cyril Vasil

Archbishop

Congregation for the Oriental Churches

Dear Monsignor,

we address ourselves to You with a complaint against the Archbishop of Lvov, Igor Voznyak, who sent a written request to the Lvov Regional Council, State Security Service of Ukraine, courts and police for a so-called objective examination of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UO GCC). The true purpose of this “objective examination” is destruction of our UO GCC.

He launched a smear campaign in the journal Express and on the TV channel 12 LTV and inflamed religious hatred among the masses, which is a criminal offence violating the Ukrainian laws. The campaign impacted on other secular and religious journals too.

State authorities are abused by him:

1)     for discrimination against a religious minority;

2)     for violation of the fundamental human rights concerning freedom of conscience and religion;

3)     for giving preference to one religion over another one;

4)     for destructive efforts against the UO GCC on the basis of Your false information and unproven allegations.

5 July 2012

Head of State Security Service

Lviv Region

Dear Sir!

On 5 July 2012 we were informed by the Prosecutor of the Brody District that as from 10 July 2012 we will not be allowed to celebrate Divine Liturgies in the Church of St. Joseph in Pidhirtsi rented to our religious community of the UO GCC by the Lviv National Art Gallery. We ask where we shall celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, on the following Sunday (15 July) and on other Sundays and feast days? If we are not allowed to celebrate the Liturgy inside the church on 10 July, we shall perhaps celebrate it outside.

Lvov (Ukraine), 19 April 2012

UGCC promotes Masonry

The Basilian journal “Місіонер” (Missionary) /No. 6(223) June 2011/ published an article entitled “Masonry in Ukraine as a form of religious doctrine”. It is a pattern of manipulation and promotion of Freemasonry within the Catholic Church. The article sings the praises of Freemasons as people who are deeply religious, deeply moral and have the noblest intentions with all mankind.

Lvov, 21 November 2011

Mykhailo Dmytrovych Kostyuk

Head of the Lvov Regional State Administration (LRSA)

Deputies of LRSA

Dear Mr Kostyuk,

Dear deputies of LRSA,

we, Bishops of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC), are turning to You in the matter of “Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence”. On 7 November 2011, this Convention was signed by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Please, appeal to the Government of Ukraine to abolish bindingness of this convention and to impose a ban on its promotion in education, culture and mass media.

Lvov, 22 November 2011

Mr Thomas Hammarberg

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

Dear Sir,

we have come to learn that from 19 to 26 November You are staying in Ukraine and having meetings with ombudsmen, public representatives, representatives of the Ministries as well as with the victims of human rights violations. You said that Your report would be objective and its fruit would be recommendations directly to the Government of Ukraine, and if the Government did not want to take this recommendations into account, the matter would be addressed to the European Court.

Lvov, 2 November 2011

Dear Monsignors,

we would like to sober You down from Your fallacious views of Christ’s Church and from Your statements concerning us, the orthodox bishops of the UOGCC.

At the beginning we want to remind You that the Catholic Church was established neither by You nor by any other people. It was established by the God-Man Jesus Christ. So the Church is no politico-economic institution to make a profit on but it is the Body of Christ. Therefore belonging to the Church – the Body of Christ – does not lie in a formal membership in the external structure of Your apostatical organization which You unjustly call “Catholic Church”. He is a Catholic and he belongs to the Catholic Church – the Mystical Body of Christ – who distances himself from heresies that deny the essence of the Catholic Church, including Husar’s heresies.

Lvov, 11 November 2011

On 27-28 October 2011, ex-Bishops of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church) and RCC (Roman-Catholic Church) met together to discuss how to eliminate competition, namely the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). UOGCC has applied to the state for legal registration for more than two years. Throughout the period the leadership of the apostatical UGCC has exerted systematic and intense pressure on state authorities in order to prevent this registration of the orthodox Catholic Church by any means. And then they state hypocritically: “UOGCC is not registered because it is a dangerous totalitarian sect similar to the White Brotherhood.” The meeting was closed on 28 October 2011 with a press conference and with an appeal to the Catholic believers, the Government and the President based on lies and manipulations with the purpose of eliminating the orthodox Church (UOGCC).

Lvov, 1^st September 2011

Members of the Ukrainian Parliament

Dear Members of Parliament,

we would like to ask You to deal with an urgent issue at the Parliament session on Tuesday 6^th September 2011, namely with religious discrimination now already associated with deportation and dissolution.

As from 10^th September 2011, Ukraine is introducing liberalization of the visa regime between Ukraine and the EU. The State Committee of Ukraine on Matters of Nationalities and Religions has been illegally blocking the registration of a religious minority – Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC) for two years. From this it follows:

a) 23 contemplative sisters from the monastery of St. Elijah the Prophet find themselves outside the law, they will not obtain documentation for a long-stay visa and will have to leave Ukraine. They do not have monastery in the EU. Religious discrimination de facto passes into their dissolution.

Lvov, 1^st September 2011

Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine

Head of Delegation

Jos? Manuel Pinto Teixeira

Dear Mr Teixeira,

we turn to You in the matter of violations of human rights in the field of discrimination of a religious minority. Specifically, the enquiry here is discrimination of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). Monitoring over the Ukraine concerning observance of human rights is delegated to Mrs Reps and Mrs Wolwend. Their duty is to solve a specific problem which threatens to develop into an international scandal. The main culprits in the religious discrimination against the UOGCC are Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr Y.Bohutskyi, and Minister of Justice, Mr O. Lavrynovych. The new law on the liberalization of visa regime connected with the promotion of antidiscrimination laws does not bring liberalization but has an opposite effect. EU citizens in Ukraine, 23 religious sisters, are not only in danger of discrimination but also of deportation and, de facto, liquidation. Some of them have been in Ukraine for 17 years. The root of the problem is that there has been unlawfully refused registration of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC) for two years. As a consequence of this religious discrimination, the Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate and 23 religious sisters now cannot be granted long-term visas.