On Sunday, 20 October 2012, in the village of Probizhna, Ternopol region in Ukraine, an organized crime was committed with the purpose of eliminating a religious minority. More than 30 people under the leadership of the local parish priest of the UGCC, Zenobius Pasichnyk, broke down the gate of the monastery and invaded the private territory. The religious sisters have documents which certify that the monastery is their private property. Aggressive parishioners broke down the front door by force and penetrated inside. They began to carry away the sisters’ belongings and the doors. Thereafter they broke down the small gate too and on the orders of the parish priest carried the gates away to the church.

Scandalous attack on religious sisters in Ternopil region, Ukraine

On Saturday 20 October 2012, an organized crime was committed in the village of Probizhna, Ternopil region, Ukraine. It was the fruit of incitement of religious hatred against the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church separated from Husar’s heresies.

Contemplative sisters of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church, who have their monastery in the village, have a right of ownership of it and state act on land.

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.

On 1 August 2012, a peaceful demonstration was held in Drohobych on the occasion of the anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus by St. Vladimir.

The UO GCC believers demonstrated against the gender-gay ideology which destroys all moral, spiritual and Christian values. They also protested against establishment of the juvenile justice system which has already started removing children from good families without any real reason. Before the demonstration, the local authorities and police, at the request of the hierarchy of the UGCC, tried to prevent it.

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), 1 February 2012

Presidents of COE and EU Member States

Members of the European Parliament

The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate hereby makes a proposal for dissolution of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The reason: This Court has denied the sense of its existence and, moreover, acts contrary to its purpose.

Lvov, 4 January 2012

To the United Nations administration

EU Commissioners

U.S. President and Congress

The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate is making this appeal to You in the matter of intensifying persecution of Christians which takes place mostly in Islamic countries.

We ask You to use Your political power and international influence to protect the right to life as well as religious freedom of Christians in countries with the vast majority of Islamic population.

In these countries, systematic persecution for the Christian faith is taking place, comprised of physical torture and killing of Christians, destruction of their churches, hospitals, schools, private property… This tendency is growing more and more intense and is the cause of forced emigration and violent deaths of thousands of Christians.

Lvov, 4 January 2012

President of Ukraine V. Yanukovych

Government representatives

Dear Mr President, dear members of the Ukrainian government,

the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate appealed to the UN administration, EU Commissioners, the U.S. President and the Congress to guarantee equal treatment of Christians and Muslims in the EU, USA and Muslim countries. Christians are killed in masses on Muslim territories, they are expelled from their homes (see Iraq, Iran); Pakistan even imposes death penalty for the faith in Jesus Christ or possession of the Bible. At Christmas (25 December 2011), several murderous attacks against Christians took place in Nigeria, bombs exploded in six churches. In early November, 150 Christians were murdered in cold blood right in the street because they refused to renounce the faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. On 8 March 2010, a Christian village in Nigeria was attacked at three o’clock at night and all its inhabitants – including babies – were brutally killed. On 3 January 2012, Muslims in Nigeria issued an ultimatum to the Christians living in the north of the country to leave their homes within three days or they will perpetrate their genocide. Western “human rights advocates” keep silent.

Lvov, 14 December 2011

President of Ukraine

Viktor Yanukovych

Dear Mr President,

we, Secretaries of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate, hereby appeal to You to stop religious discrimination which is aimed at elimination of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). There is a plot devised by the UGCC leadership to deport our Patriarch Elijah from Ukraine.

Previous cases of religious discrimination at the request of the UGCC:

– In 2009, on the orders of Mr Derzhko, an employee of Lvov Regional State Administration, the police were exploited for forcible abduction of a member of a women’s religious order in Bryukhovychi.

– In 2010, a church in Chortkiv, which had been built by members of the orthodox Catholic Church, was seized illegally.

Lvov (Ukraine), 14 December 2011

Dear Sir,

we send You copies of our letters to the President of Ukraine. In the letters we mentioned in several points the specific cases of discrimination against our religious minority – Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). Discrimination is perpetrated by the Ministry of Culture (Mr Bohutskyi) on the orders of the UGCC hierarchy. Unless You respond to this blatant religious discrimination, Your mission, in fact, has nothing to do with human rights. It will be evidence that You have come to Ukraine just to one-sidedly advocate the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals (LGBTs) and hence to destroy the moral and spiritual values of the Ukrainian nation.

Lvov, 14 December 2011

President of Ukraine

Viktor Yanukovych

Dear Mr President,

we, Secretaries of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate, hereby appeal to You to stop religious discrimination which is aimed at elimination of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). There is a plot devised by the UGCC leadership to deport our Patriarch Elijah from Ukraine. This deportation has been planned by the UGCC for at least six months. It is apparent lawlessness and political corruption on the part of the UGCC leadership which uses state structures for its purposes. The UGCC leadership has disclosed its discriminatory, deportation and elimination purposes several times in the mass media.