Medvid meets with U.S. legislators who supported him in 1985 (02/11/01)

Medvid meets with U.S. legislators who supported him in 1985

Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - The name is recognizable to most: Myroslav Medvid. The time was in October 1985 when a Ukrainian sailor dove off the Soviet freighter Marshal Koniev in the port of New Orleans to seek political asylum in the United States.

Now, almost 16 years later the Rev. Myroslav Medvid was here in the United States on the invitation of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA). He visited various communities and came to Washington to tell his story to his supporters in the U.S. Congress.

On Tuesday, January 30, the Rev. Medvid - who in 1990 was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church - met with several members of Congress who had played an instrumental role on his behalf and supported his desire to seek political asylum in the United States.

In a meeting with Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Rev. Medvid personally thanked the senator for his efforts in 1985. The senator mentioned his role in defending Mr. Medvid's decision to defect to the United States, which included issuing a subpoena for Mr. Medvid to appear before the Senate Agricultural Committee, which he chaired. The Rev. Medvid acknowledged that he didn't learn of the senator's or other government officials' support until he viewed videotapes of the incident once back in the United States.

Flanked by the senator's staffers - Staff Director Steve Biegen and Staff Associate Ian Brzezinski - from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and media personnel, the Rev. Medvid was accompanied to the meeting by UCCA President Michael Sawkiw Jr., UCCA Vice-President Orest Baranyk, and Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) Administrative Assistant Natalie Kemska, who served as translator.

During the course of the conversation with Sen. Helms, the Rev. Medvid became emotional as he reconstructed those ill-fated days in October 1985. The senator and his staff were intrigued at the treatment the sailor received at the hands of both American and Soviet authorities. Sen. Helms quoted several articles from various news publications in 1985 that had branded him as "grandstanding," especially in light of the upcoming U.S.-Soviet summit in Geneva, Switzerland, that took place a week after the incident began in New Orleans.

The senator was equally interested in the Rev. Medvid's current function as a priest of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. The Rev. Medvid expressed his love for his Church and country, stating that he feels he must work on behalf of both to strengthen the newly independent Ukrainian state. He also expressed concern about the current situation in Ukraine, and underlined that the Western world needs to focus more attention toward Ukraine.

The 20-minute meeting ended with best wishes from Sen. Helms, who requested that the Rev. Medvid deliver a benediction. The Rev. Medvid recited the "Our Father" in Ukrainian and blessed those in attendance. Before departing, the Rev. Medvid presented Sen. Helms with a videotape compilation of news stories from the 1985 incident, as well as an icon replica of the famous appearance of the Mother of God in Hrushiv, Ukraine.

Later that day, the Rev. Medvid was also met former Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Ritter. Held in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol, the meeting was another opportunity for the Rev. Medvid to thank his supporters for their outspoken defense of his case in 1985. Former Rep. Ritter was said to have been honored to meet the Rev. Medvid, and expressed interest in his treatment by both U.S. and Soviet officials. The congressman reiterated many of the same facts cited by Sen. Helms about congressional support for Seaman Medvid despite the official INS ruling to send him back to the Soviet Union.

Once again the topic about the current situation in Ukraine was raised. The former congressman voiced dismay at how many former Communist societies have taken so long to rid themselves of former and present corrupt behavior. Seeing the defector-turned-clergyman in good health and full of enthusiasm in his priestly duties, former Rep. Ritter jokingly commented that "you, Myroslav Medvid, outlived the Soviet Union."

During the Rev. Medvid's stay in the United States, he has had the opportunity to visit Ukrainian communities in Philadelphia, Newark, New York, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo, as well as the Ukrainian Catholic diocese in Stamford, Conn. Upon the invitation of the UCCA, the Rev. Medvid's first appearance was at St. Patrick's Cathedral on November 18, 2000, as the main speaker during a solemn commemoration of the 1932-1933 Famine-Genocide in Ukraine. Each community he subsequently visited warmly welcomed the former would-be defector to the United States, and local media provided news coverage.

When asked by UCCA President Sawkiw about his reflections on being back in a country that had returned him to the Soviet Union nearly 16 years ago, the Rev. Medvid stated: "God had intended it to be that way. I am grateful, however, to have met many people who supported my actions back then. Thank you for your support."

The Rev. Medvid is set to return to Ukraine, where he will work on his memoirs of the 1985 incident.

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