Ukrainian Church Leaders Call for Peace amidst Political Protests
Leaders of the Catholic Church in Ukraine have urged the government to avoid violence as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Western Ukraine in protest
Leaders of the Catholic Church in Ukraine have urged the government to avoid violence as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Western Ukraine to protest the Ukrainian government's decision to name a Moscow-backed candidate winner of presidential elections.
"When people take to the streets to defend their constitutional rights in a peaceful way, they are not a dark mass 'off the street,'” said the synod of Ukrainian Catholic bishops in a statement released at a press conference. “These are brave people, self-sacrificing and responsible, who should be honored and whose voice should be heard, for 'the voice of the people is the voice of God.'"
According to Knight Ridder News Service, Ukraine edged closer to chaos Tuesday as an estimated 200,000 antigovernment protesters gathered in the capital of Kiev in the bitter cold of a driving snowstorm to denounce the country's weekend presidential election as a fraud. The protestors were met by ranks of riot police as they encircled the presidential offices in downtown Kiev. No violence was reported, however, and one marcher calling from the scene said the atmosphere was almost festive.
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Although exit polls Sunday night had given West-leaning opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko a large lead, the Central Election Commission said Monday that Yushchenko trailed Moscow-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych by nearly three percentage points.
European election monitors said Sunday's voting was marred by massive irregularities and didn't begin to measure up to democratic standards.
Now, as a countrywide strike has begun to protest election results that declared Yanukovych the winner, and as mass street protests in the capital Kiev continue for a fifth straight day, the gulf is deepening between the western-leaning opposition and the government.
Bishop Paul Chomnycky, leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the UK said Wednesday that his community was in full support of the opposition protests over election fraud in the Ukraine.
"Throughout the election we did not become involved in party politics but advised people to take part in the democratic process,” Chomnycky said, as reported by Ekklesia news. “But the election has clearly not been conducted fairly."
The bishops said they were asking all Ukrainians to pray for the country at "this difficult and responsible moment."
According to Reuters, Ukraine's feuding presidential contenders sat down on Friday with European and Russian mediators to try to end a crisis over a disputed election that has led to mass street protests and pushed the country toward civil conflict.
Outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told the meeting in the presidential Mariinsky Palace, "It is our hope that if all participants show the desire and the will, a compromise will clearly be found."
