Patriarch Sviatoslav to Yanukovych: ‘We are, have been, and will be with the people’

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, described the meeting that members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) had with President Yanukovych. On the air on Hromadske TV, the patriarch stressed: “According to the members of the AUCCRO, only when we make it an absolute priority to prevent civil war, military confrontation, and keep peace can we proceed to the next steps.”

Their participation in current events in Ukraine the AUCCRO members explained as purely peacekeeping activities.

According to Patriarch Sviatoslav, AUCCRO representatives previously declared that they intended to mediate between the politicians and the public. “Now we have decided to act as mediators and peacemakers. In an earlier communiqué we condemned all those who have transgressed God's commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ and openly asked for a meeting with the president and the opposition,” said the head of the UGCC.

Today was the first meeting with Yanukovych, and tomorrow, January 25, there will be a meeting with representatives of the opposition, he said.

All members of the AUCCRO met with Yanukovych. Everyone expressed concern to Yanukovych about the situation in Ukraine.

In particular, Patriarch Sviatoslav underlined some painful issues faced by the pastors of the UGCC.

“First, I emphasized that we are, have been, and will be with the people. Over the past two months, we were not only on Maidan with our people, but I can also say that we have won the right to be there. Today, everyone understands that the presence of the clergy is essential to appeasing the people and the preservation of peaceful protest as such. We strive to serve our people in every way we can. We opened our churches to welcome and warm those in need,” he said.

The head of the church told Yanukovych that while providing spiritual support, the UGCC priests have seen that there are many wounded who are afraid to go to the Kyiv hospitals for help because the law enforcement bodies consider the fact of injury evidence of a crime. So people just have nowhere to go.

Patriarch Sviatoslav told Yanukovych the story of how one boy, who lost an eye, was forced to jump from the second floor of the hospital to escape the police, who came for the wounded. “I said, Mr. President, this is not right. These people should have access to medical care. In addition, injury is not evidence of a crime,” said the Primate.

The head of the church also told Yanukovych that the prison chaplains of the UGCC do not have access to those who have been imprisoned due to the developments on Hrushevskoho because they are “guarded by an extremely strict regime.”

“Unfortunately, I did not hear from the president any clear answers to these needs, but he said that those who have not committed serious crimes should be released. We'll see if it really happens,” said the patriarch.

The AUCCRO also spoke to Yanukovych about killings and torture committed by Berkut, including the mocking of Mykhailo Havrylak, who was captured and stripped naked in the cold ...

“The president said that it is shameful, that it is not right, but that it is violence responding to violence,” said the head of the UGCC.

When asked by journalists whether Yanukovych listened to the religious leaders, the patriarch said: “I ​​think the genuineness of his words should be checked by his actions,” the Information Department of the UGCC reports.

The AUCCRO held its emergency meeting on January 22, the Day of Unity of Ukraine. AUCCRO members during the meeting saw that an armored personnel carrier was on the European Square. That day people were killed.