Religious Leaders Call Parliament Not To Use Language Question for Political Manipulation

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) called the Ukrainian deputies not to submit for the Parliament’s consideration bills “which harm the normal constitutional functioning of the Ukrainian language,” especially Bill 9073 “On Principles of State Language Policy” by S. Kivalov and V. Kolesnichenko (Party of Regions).

So says the address of AUCCRO to the Head of the Supreme Council, Volodymyr Lytvyn and the people’s deputies signed by the Chairman of AUCCRO, Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church the text of which was received by RISU.

“We hereby express our concern about the situation resulting from the submission to the agenda and consideration of the Supreme Council of bills harming the normal constitutional functioning of the Ukrainian language,” especially Bill 9073 “On Principles of State Language Policy,” reads the address.

“We regret and we are sad to have to state that before each important elections in our state, certain politicians make attempts to exploit questions harming the unity of the Ukrainian people and causing divisions and confusions in the social and state organism. To our regret, such sacred attributes of the state originality as the language, history and religion become a subject of political manipulations,” stated the religious leaders.

The members of AUCCRO reminded that they repeatedly addressed the state and society regarding such questions. In particular, in 2006, they issued an Address to the Ukrainian Nation Regarding the Use of Languages and Threat of Separatism, which has been attached to the present address.