AUCCRO opposes construction on mass execution site in Poltava
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations supported public appeals to the Poltava City Council against the construction in Pushkarov Yar, where tens of thousands of innocent people, mostly Jews, were executed.
A petition signed by Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytsky, chairman of the AUCCRO was sent to the Secretary of the Poltava City Council and all deputies on June 25, 2019, the Institute of Religious Freedom reports.
"In our belief, it is unacceptable to erect buildings on this place of tragedy of global significance, as it incurs the risk of deprecating the memory of tens of thousands of our innocent fellow citizens who were murdered here by the Nazis in the years of the Second World War, as well as earlier, by the repressive organs of the Soviet regime,” declared the religious leader of Ukraine.
According to the AUCCRO, it is precisely because of these circumstances that the territory of the former archeological sites should be preserved for scientific research and the placement of the memorial complex, so that the historical truth i is established, the relatives of the dead can pay homage to the innocent victims, and the general public and, especially, the younger generation can render their ethical judgement condemning these acts of inhuman cruelty in order to prevent their recurrence in the future.
As an example, the appeal of the Council of Churches notes that the Babi Yar area is being readied in Kyiv, where the construction of the Holocaust Memorial Center is planned enabled by funding from philanthropists from all over the world.
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations includes 16 religious associations and represents over 95% of the entire religious community of Ukraine.
