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.

We have celebrated Divine Liturgies in this church for 7 years. The prohibition on celebration of Divine Liturgy originated from the leadership of the Lviv Archbishopric which abuses state authorities for the sake of its interests, i.e. with the purpose of destruction of its competition – our religious minority of the UO GCC. Mr Boris Voznitskyi, Director of the Gallery, was exposed to this pressure last year in order to cancel the lease and thus practically eliminate our religious community in Pidhirtsi. He could not endure the pressure, suffered a heart attack, and several days ago he died tragically.

The UGCC commits discrimination against our UO GCC and abuses state authorities. In response to their pressure in Brody, state authorities issued an order to destroy our chapel where we have celebrated Divine Liturgies since Christmas 2012. Through the mediation of the Mayor of Lviv, A. Sadovyi, we have also been prohibited from celebrating Divine Liturgies in our chapel in Lviv, Pluhova Street. We are thus forced to celebrate Divine Liturgy in the open air near the Jesuit Church. The UGCC hierarchy abused Mr Salo from the Visa Department who imposed an unlawful penalty on Patriarch Elijah – 5 years’ prohibition of entry to Ukraine. The UGCC hierarchy abused the journal Express which has launched a smear campaign against our Church. It says that we practise ritual murders, steal and maim children. It is a crime of defamation and inflammation of religious enmity. The testimony to the fact that the hate campaign is carried on by the UGCC hierarchy is participation of 20 priests in the so-called round table conference of the journal Express and direct cooperation of an observer and spokesman of the UGCC in a libellous article. The hierarchy of the UGCC exploited the TV channel “12 LTV” in whose TV broadcast Mr Perun, a UCU lecturer, and Mr Pavlyuk, an academician, falsely accused us of using psychotropic drugs, hypnosis etc. In addition, the UGCC hierarchy abused the Lviv Regional Council which issued an order on 3 July 2012 for the State Security Service and Public Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a so-called objective surveillance. The real purpose is discrimination against our religious minority and consequent destruction of our centres and our leadership. This Regional Council refers directly to Archbishop Voznyak and thus becomes itself an instrument of his destructive efforts, which is contrary to the laws of Ukraine. Contrary to law, preference is given to one religion over another one.

All these events have taken place within the last month. The crimes committed are as follows: violation of the International Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, violation of the Constitution of Ukraine (Art. 35), violation of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Worship and Religious Organizations” (Art. 3) which guarantees the right to accommodation of religious needs and performance of rites regardless of whether the particular Church has been registered or not. Another crime committed is incitement of religious hatred. Prohibition of Divine Liturgies in the church in Pidhirtsi has been artificially justified by a state of disrepair.

Concerning church repairs, the Cathedral of St. George, though being in scaffolding for a long time, was not closed to the believers and neither were St. Andrew’s Church or other churches in Lviv that were under repair. So to use repairs as the reason for closing a church to the believers is completely groundless.

We fully respect that our religious minority is not the owner of the church but a mere tenant. If the owner wishes to rent the church to another group of believers, who have attended the monastery church in Pidhirtsi for years, or has different plans with it, we fully respect his will. However, by reason of religious discrimination against our community and efforts at its elimination we demand permission to freely build a chapel in Pidhirtsi for our religious minority. We also demand an interest-free loan of 10,000 dollars (80,000 hryvnias) to start building works. We pledge ourselves to pay the money back within three years. It would be ideal if foreign charitable organizations could grant us this sum as a free gift. The Orthodox Church does receive such gifts.

Prohibition against celebration of Divine Liturgies is in fact religious discrimination and destruction of the religious minority in Pidhirtsi.

We hope for a constructive solution to the situation, and until the time we are provided an adequate alternative, our religious community will use the Church of St. Joseph.

Yours respectfully,

                                                                                    + Markian OSBMr

                                                                         Archbishop – Secretary of UO GCC

                                                                                                                                                                   5 July 2012

Copies to:

-         Prime Minister of Ukraine

-         Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights

-         Public Prosecutor of the Lviv Region

-         Public Prosecutor of the Brody District

-         Nigel Farage, MEP

-         Steve Cohen, U.S. Congressman