Block, Siteadmin, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, edit, protect
4,562
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 102:
Line 102: + + + + + + +
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (view source)
Revision as of 16:09, December 12, 2024
, 16:09, December 12, 2024→From Restoration to the Present Day
– Buried in secret –<ref name=PopeFrancis>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/news/pope-beatifies-seven-communist-era-bishops-in-romania/|title=Pope beatifies seven Communist-era bishops in Romania|date=2 June 2019|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref>}}
– Buried in secret –<ref name=PopeFrancis>{{cite web|url=https://www.breitbart.com/news/pope-beatifies-seven-communist-era-bishops-in-romania/|title=Pope beatifies seven Communist-era bishops in Romania|date=2 June 2019|publisher=[[Breitbart]]}}</ref>}}
Evidence suggests systematic targeting of non-Orthodox faiths by Russian and DPR-LPR militants, often under the banners of the Russian Orthodox Church. Cases include torture of prisoners by individuals dressed as priests and the abduction of religious figures like Ihor Kozlovsky. The situation reflects the broader use of religion as a justification for violence and control, with ties to the concept of the "Russian World" promoted by both the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate. Coynash criticizes the Vatican for overlooking these abuses in its 2016 statement with Patriarch Kirill.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russian crimes & religious persecution in Donbas that the Pope ignored |date=19 February 2016 |url=https://khpg.org/en/1455660484 |author=Halya Coynash}}</ref>
=== 2022 War ===
One of the key challenges has been the Russian forces' assault on the Church. Several churches have been destroyed, and priests have been forced to evacuate sacred objects to protect them from attacks.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian forces destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as another parish prepares for attack|url=https://www.cathstan.org/us-world/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack|date=14 August 2024|publisher=Catholic Standard}}</ref> Furthermore, Russian authorities in the occupied territories, including Zaporizhzhia, have outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries. This includes groups like the Knights of Columbus and Caritas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network}}</ref> Church leaders have also been targeted for assassination, with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, being forced to move between safe houses to avoid danger.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia has Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the crosshairs|url=https://www.churchinneed.org/russia-has-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-in-the-crosshairs/|date=14 March 2022|publisher=Aid the Church in Need}}</ref> The ongoing conflict has caused significant damage and posed serious threats to both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and its followers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin Is “Destroying the Basic Principles of Peace”|url=https://bitterwinter.org/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-putin-and-peace/|date=24 February 2022|publisher=Bitter Winter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Russian drone attack damages Kyiv's Catholic cathedral|url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/russian-drone-attack-damages-kyivs-catholic-cathedral|date=27 November 2023|publisher=Detroit Catholic}}</ref>
One of the key challenges has been the Russian forces' assault on the Church. Several churches have been destroyed, and priests have been forced to evacuate sacred objects to protect them from attacks.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian forces destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as another parish prepares for attack|url=https://www.cathstan.org/us-world/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack|date=14 August 2024|publisher=Catholic Standard}}</ref> Furthermore, Russian authorities in the occupied territories, including Zaporizhzhia, have outlawed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries. This includes groups like the Knights of Columbus and Caritas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/russia-bans-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-catholic-ministries/103517|date=8 December 2023|publisher=Union of Catholics Asia Network}}</ref> Church leaders have also been targeted for assassination, with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, being forced to move between safe houses to avoid danger.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia has Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the crosshairs|url=https://www.churchinneed.org/russia-has-ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-in-the-crosshairs/|date=14 March 2022|publisher=Aid the Church in Need}}</ref> The ongoing conflict has caused significant damage and posed serious threats to both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and its followers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Putin Is “Destroying the Basic Principles of Peace”|url=https://bitterwinter.org/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church-putin-and-peace/|date=24 February 2022|publisher=Bitter Winter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Russian drone attack damages Kyiv's Catholic cathedral|url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/russian-drone-attack-damages-kyivs-catholic-cathedral|date=27 November 2023|publisher=Detroit Catholic}}</ref>
Russian occupation forces have intensified their repression against Catholics in Donetsk region, sealing off Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) churches and barring worshippers from entering, according to the Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF). Since the start of 2024, Russian militants identifying as "Cossacks" have seized UGCC properties and expelled clergy from the occupied territories. Faithful have appealed to officials of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), but no response has been provided, leaving Greek Catholics without access to their places of worship. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church reported it now has no clergy in the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. In Berdyansk, two UGCC priests, Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, were detained in November 2022. Father Levitsky is believed to be in a Russian prison in the Rostov region, while Father Geleta is reportedly held in Russian-occupied Crimea under harsh conditions, including acute diabetes. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk stated that both priests have been subjected to severe torture.
In December 2022, the Kremlin-installed administration in Zaporizhzhia banned the UGCC and other Catholic organizations, accusing them of extremist activities. This suppression aligns with a broader pattern of religious persecution by Russian forces, which have damaged or destroyed at least 660 religious structures since 2022, according to experts. Archbishop Borys Gudziak highlighted that religious institutions in Russia function only if aligned with the government, a policy now extended to occupied Ukrainian territories.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://catholicreview.org/russian-occupation-forces-close-more-catholic-churches-in-ukraine/ |title=Russian occupation forces close more Catholic churches in Ukraine |date=March 27, 2024 |publisher=Catholic Review }}</ref>
=== Calendar reform ===
=== Calendar reform ===