Benedict XVI

                                                                                                                                                 Supreme Pontiff

                                                                                                                                                 Città del Vaticano

                                        Save the innocent mother!

Your Holiness,

global implementation of new structures today begins to destroy the family and morally devastate children and youth. It is hypocritically called “rights of women and children”. But in fact, this is the greatest injustice and crimes against women and defenceless children.

The juvenile justice system can take a child from anyone without a proper trial, without witnesses and without reason. The Church is hypocritically silent on these crimes and thus it is responsible for them.

An appalling example of a victim of the juvenile justice system is a Russian actress Natalia Zakharova. 11 years ago, this system removed her 3-year-old daughter from her and illegally deprived her of parental rights. The reason for the removal of the child was “stifling maternal love”. Mrs Zakharova turned to the Russian President, French President, ambassador to Russia. The ambassador waged a persevering fight for ten years until he finally became mentally exhausted and surrendered. During the last 4 and a half years the mother was no more allowed to meet her daughter. Last year the Russian court returned her the parental rights to her child who had been removed from her in France. This year, therefore, she went to France to take her child back. But she was arrested there and put in prison for three years! In prison she went on a hunger strike in protest against injustice. She was not allowed to meet with her advocate, she was physically punished, and her chronic diseases like heart disease, gastric neurosis... got even worse. The wardresses beat her unjustifiably until she finally lost consciousness.

Your Holiness, stand in defence of the innocent mother and her child! You must demand:

1) the immediate release of Mrs Natalia Zakharova from prison,

2) the return of her daughter Mary,

3) compensation for 11 years of tyranny, emotional distress, trauma and stigmatization.

Your Holiness, unless You do so, no one will help her. There is a danger that she will die in prison.

Your Bishops of the UOGCC

                     + Elias OSBMr

                     + Samuel OSBMr

                     + Methodius OSBMr

                     + Markian OSBMr

                                                                                                                            Lvov (Ukraine), 20th March 2011

Cc:

        -         Mrs Natalia Zakharova

        -         Presidents of EU member states

        -         Government of Russia

        -         Church representatives

        -         Mass media

Address: Synod of the UOGCC, 3 Sosnova St., Lvov - Bryukhovychi, 79491, Ukraine

www.uogcc.org.ua, www.community.org.ua; pidhirci.community@gmail.com