Ukrainian Churches tell Ambassador of India to Ukraine of their disturbance regarding cruel oppression of Christians in this country

Thursday, 23 October 2008, 01:51

On October 21, 2008, addresses to Ambassador of India to Ukraine Mr. Debabrata Saha and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine V. Ohryzko expressed the disturbance of the heads of the Christian Churches of Ukraine at the situation of cruel oppression of Christians in India, which currently has already spread to a few Indian states. Corresponding letters were sent by the Head of the Conference of Representatives of the Christian Churches of Ukraine, Major Archbishop of the UGCC His Beatitude Lubomyr, in accordance with a decision passed at the meeting of main hierarchs of Ukrainian Churches of October 7, 2008. In the appeals it was noted that «in recent months in the mass media more reports have appeared about attacks and burning of Christian settlements, churches, prayer houses, refuges, schools and residential buildings, and also about the persecution and murder of Christian clergy, pastors, monks and ordinary faithful, in particularly in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.» Thus the spiritual leaders of Ukraine receive troubling reports, including from missionaries of Christian Churches in India, «about armed attacks on Christian believers as a result of which already more than 1000 churches and residential buildings have been destroyed, and several tens of thousands of local Christians were forced to abandon their residences and hide from cruel persecutions in the jungles of Orissa, and a great number of people died brutal deaths.» The Christian Churches of Ukraine - as is underlined in the addresses to the Embassy of India in Kyiv – are deeply disturbed by this situation in India, involving an unacceptable attitude toward people who profess Christianity. It is noted in the documents that «the Heads of the Christian Churches of Ukraine have a firm conviction that the level of freedom of religion and respect for religious beliefs which the adherents of Hinduism and the citizens of India enjoy in Ukraine in particular should be an example for a proper attitude toward Christians on the whole territory of India.» Therefore, the Ukrainian Churches call the official authorities of India to accept «without delay state measures to stop oppression of Christians in India and provide for the implementation of international agreements in the area of securing the right of every person to freedom of conscience, religion and convictions, with the goal being the most rapid correction of the indicated situation.» As is known, the Conference of Representatives of the Christian Churches of Ukraine is composed of religious communities of Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations of Christianity, namely: Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in union with the Moscow Patriarchate), Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, All-Ukrainian Union of United Evangelical Christians – Baptists, Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church – Pentecostals, Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and the Brotherhood of Independent Churches and Missions of Evangelical Christians – Baptists of Ukraine

Institute of Religious Freedom