Society for the promotion of the patriarchal system in the Ukrainian Catholic Church
P. O. Box 11012, Philadelphia, Pa. 19141
Laudetur Jesus Christus!
His Eminence Jean Cardinal Villot
Secretary of the Vatican State Vatican
June 21, 1975
Your Eminence:
We take the liberty of submitting the following memorandum for Your Eminence’s consideration.
The month of April 1975 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the wanton destruction of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine by the Soviet government in collaboration with the Russian Orthodox Church.
We, the representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic Laity in the United States, moved by the tragic memory of this event, ask Your Eminence to bring this sad anniversary to the attention of the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI. It is our firm conviction that the Holy Year 1975, which is now so solemnly celebrated by the Universal Church, should not pass without a reminder to all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, that a great number of their brothers in faith are currently suffering religious persecution. These people, the Ukrainian Catholics in the USSR, have been deprived of their right to bring up their children in the spirit of their ancient Christian tradition; in effect, they have been deprived of their right to live according to the dictates of their conscience. These forgotten members of the Universal Church, the Ukrainian Catholics in the USSR, are constantly subjected to fierce persecution because, in spite of adversity, they have remained loyal to the teachings of Christ and to the Apostolic See.
It is for this reason that we ask Your Eminence to recall to His Holiness’ memory these forgotten Catholics. The Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and in the diaspora, expect some words of solace from the Pontiff at this moment in their history. A Papal pronouncement concerning the plight of the Ukrainian Catholic Church would strengthen their faith and imbue them with the spirit of hope and courage so sorely needed to overcome the tragic sense of the past and the anguish of the present. In addition, such a Papal pronouncement would dispel the persistent rumor as an irreversible historical fact and that it considers Ukraine a spiritual dominion of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Your Eminence, we feel that Christian Justice demands that we remember those who suffer for Christ and that we continue to remind others of their plight, especially now, during the Holy Year 1975. There is no doubt in our mind, that a word from the Holy Father, spoken in defense of our brothers in faith and blood, would have a far-reaching effect on the future of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In this connection, we would also like to remind Your Eminence that the encyclical ORIENTALES OMNES (1946), issued by Pope Pius XII of blessed memory, reverberates most favorably in the hearts and minds of the Ukrainian Catholic faithful both in Ukraine and in the diaspora. Similarly, his letter to the Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy issued in 1955 on the occasion of the 950th anniversary of the baptism of St. Olha, Grand Princess of Kiev, was also received with great enthusiasm. Ukrainians everywhere recall with deep love His Holiness Pope John XX111 for his paternal care extended to the Ukrainian Catholic Church and for his love of her Primate, His Beatitude Joseph Slipyj, a Confessor of Faith and a Cardinal of the Universal Church. We also cherish the memory of Pope Paul Vi’s participation in the solemn consecration of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Rome, 1969, as we await further manifestations of his solicitude for the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Your Eminence, we are convinced that a pronouncement by the Holy Father concerning the plight of the Ukrainian Catholic Church issued during the Holy Year 1975, would have a salutary effect on our persecuted brothers and, with God’s help, perhaps even on those, who deprived of Grace and blinded by hatred, continue to persecute them. We are certain that our view of the situation would be confirmed by our brothers in the USSR if only they had the opportunity to do so. We are equally certain, that in the given situation, we have the duty to speak to Your Eminence in the name of those who must remain silent.
For the Society:
Myroslav Nawrockyj, M.D. President
Leonid Rudnytzky, Ph. D. Secretary
