LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (01/01/06)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The real meaning of nationalism

Dear Editor:

A letter to the editor in the December 11, 2005, issue of The Weekly suggests that the editors avoid using the term "nationalists" because it "has largely a pejorative connotation in the West and is often employed in scapegoating Ukrainians."

The pejorative connotation is emloyed only by those who do not know (or do not want to know) the real meaning of nationalism.

Webster's Dictionary defines nationalism as "loyalty and devotion to a nation."

Leo Iwaskiw
Philadelphia

Un-Christian behavior on display

Dear Editor:

Michael Kozak in his letter, "Moscow still uses the Church as a Tool" (October 23), aptly described how Moscow Patriarchate followers attacked Cardinal Lubomyr Husar and his faithful during the historic August 21 divine liturgy celebrating the transfer of the headquarters of the Ukrainian Catholic Church from Lviv to Kyiv.

This un-Christian behavior extends not only to the Ukrainian Catholic Church, but also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate. Both of these Churches celebrate the beautiful liturgy in Ukrainian and also uphold Ukrainian customs and traditions. All this is anathema to Moscow, which can hardly become the Third Rome if this continues and it loses the hold on Ukrainian property that was strengthened under the Communist regime.

There have been reports in southern Ukraine and in Crimea of Ukrainian Orthodox priests of the Kyiv Patriarchate being beaten up by followers of the Moscow Patriarchate for trying to establish Kyiv Patriarchate churches in those areas. In the northeastern oblast of Sumy, Kyiv Patriarchate priests have had their windows broken and are even spat upon by toothless old ladies professing to be followers of the Moscow Patriarchate. Truly, the Moscow Patriarchate is doing a marvelous job of misinformation, more fitting of the Communist KGB than Christianity.

Recently, the Kyiv Patriarchate Bishop Mefodii Sribniak in Sumy printed a small prayer book in Ukrainian. The prayers are prefaced with a justification that prayer in one's native tongue is acceptable to God and not only to be used at bazaars and for lowly daily needs. In these highly Russified areas, the Moscow Church has brainwashed people that even prayer should be in Russian.

Unfortunately, even in North America, many Orthodox Ukrainians don't seem to be aware of what is at stake. Under the guise of canonicity, some feel that the Moscow Church is more acceptable than the Kyiv Church as Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople has not accepted the canonicity of the Kyiv Church, although it preceded that of Moscow.

It is time for Ukrainians in Canada and the United States to actively support our Christian brothers and sisters, both Catholic and Orthodox, in Ukraine. Both Churches were violently oppressed and persecuted, and produced many martyrs under the Communist regime. Their biggest transgression was to be Ukrainian and today the Moscow Patriarchate still holds them accountable and, therefore, showers their Churches with abuse, hatred and persecution.

Halyna Wawryshyn
Toronto

We welcome your opinion

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

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