Head of UGCC and Argentinean officials discussed Holodomor and socio-political situation in Ukraine
On November 24, 2018, Patriarch Sviatoslav met with representatives of the Government of Argentina, the Embassy in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Diaspora from Argentina in the Patriarchal Residence of the Patriarchal Center of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kyiv.
According to the Department of Information of the UGCC, the Argentinean side was represented by Claudio Avruj, State Secretary for the Human Rights of Argentina, Martin Castro, Deputy Ambassador of Argentina in Ukraine, Pedro Lilic, Head of the Central Ukrainian Representation in Argentina, Oleg Yakhno, Executive Director of the Ukrainian-Argentinean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Lesya Miliutenko, representative of the Division for Policy and Liaison with Local Authorities.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the issue of the Holodomor: what exactly does this tragedy in Ukraine mean, and how this topic is covered in Argentina. “I remembered that at one time, in the individual provinces of Argentina, the Holodomor issue was introduced into the curricula of all schools by a local government decision. And I, the then bishop of the UGCC in Argentina, solemnly presented the materials we have prepared in Spanish to study the Holodomor in secondary schools,” said the head of the UGCC.
During the meeting, it was also stated that at the state level Argentina is one of the countries that have not yet recognized the Holodomor as a genocide. “My interlocutors told me that this is a process that will continue ... The issue of recognizing genocides is important to prevent repetition of such tragedies in the future,” the Primate underscored.
The parties also discussed contemporary socio-political circumstances in Argentina and Ukraine. The participants of the meeting talked about the fundamental issues of social justice, respect for the dignity of the human person and the common good.
In addition, the parties discussed various trends that present a danger to the socio-political life of countries, including populism, which is extremely dangerous for Ukrainian and Argentinean societies, as next year, presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Ukraine.
The meeting also discussed the idea of genuine patriotism. “We see that extreme-right movements are intensifying in Europe, which are de facto provoked and even supported by a country that is now attacking Ukraine. In our public discourse, the UGCC tries to be truly a Church that promotes genuine patriotism as the ability to love own homeland and as a capacity to make sacrifice for its benefit. Therefore, such patriotism has nothing to do with hatred of other peoples. Patriotism shares the values of freedom, regardless of religion, nation or origin,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
