The leaders of the Christian Churches ask President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine to manage the situation by taking “decisive” measures against those who have violated the fundamental rights of the people, to satisfy “solely their personal interests”. In these terms, the leaders of the six Christian denominations present in Ukraine (the signatories of the appeal do not however include the representatives of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow) address themselves in an open letter to the outgoing President, Leonid Kuchma. The letter is signed among others by Patriarch Philaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Kiev, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Greek-Catholic Church, and Msgr. Markian Trofimjak, Vicar General of the Conference of Latin Catholic Bishops of Ukraine. The people of Ukraine declares the letter were “obliged” to take to the streets to demonstrate against “the criminal and anti-constitutional acts of the government representatives. The scale of the public protests testifies that the rights of the people were brutally violated”. “The whole world has understood and the Ukrainian people will not go home until their rights have been recognized and safeguarded”. In such a context, “the people have a right to expect from you those important decisions that only a President can take in his role of guarantor of the Constitution”. It is in Kuchma’s power “to guarantee the supremacy of the law, also at the cost of personal sacrifices. His decisive action is more than ever necessary so that those who have shamefully rigged the elections, abusing their authority and also those who have insidiously planned to divide the country, be confronted with their responsibilities”. The appeal was also signed by the representatives of the Evangelic, Baptist and Pentecostal Churches.
