The flee of Catholics, Jews and Tartars

Threats, insults, graffiti on Synagogues, destroyed home doors, interrogations, a climate of fear and the first flights: 2 thousand Tartars in Crimea have fled the Country and the Catholic University of Lviv is ready to give hospitality to children arriving from the region. “It’s important to spread the truth, the historical truth, to have the right information on what is really happening now, and make known that minorities in Crimea today are living in a state of fear.” Speaking from Paris where he lives, Msgr. Borys Gudziak, bishop of the Ukrainian eparchy of St. Volodymyr, chairs the department for external relations of Ukraine’s Greek-Catholic Church. Over the past days bishop Gudziak met representatives of the European Union in Brussels, including the president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, to whom he denounced this situation. “When a strong one wants to attack a weak one, he always aims at denying his dignity”, the bishop said. “It’s precisely what’s happening in Crimea today, it’s not known and nor is it understood by those living beyond its borders”.Priests as targets. Already last week, the Greek-Catholic priests received instructions from their superiors to bring families and their children out of Crimea. Priests returned last Friday to their parishes. But on Saturday Fr Mykola Kvych, was seized by 6 gunmen and was held for 12 hours. “At this point – the bishop said – a large operation was launched for his release, which I took part in. Also the Vatican Radio reacted immediately and after 12 hours, the priest was released.” When another priest returned home, after having brought the family out of the country, he found that the door of his house had been broken while the words “Out Vatican spies” had been sprayed on the walls of his home. The priests were told by the bishops not to celebrate in Greek-Catholic churches alone but to co-celebrate with Latin Catholics since “until then, Latin churches had not yet been attacked.” “Now we don’t know what will be of our churches and of our homes”, the prelate said. Recognition of annexation. A difficult and dangerous situation also for Jews: Rabbi Yitzchak Meyer Lipszyc has escaped with his wife and brought away from Crimea the Torah scrolls after discovering anti-Semitic slogans on the walls of the synagogue. Also the situation of the Tartars, Muslims who experienced three genocides by the Russians, the last of which occurred 70 years ago, in 1944, when the entire Tartar population had been deported to Siberia, is at risk. The Tartars today are afraid for their future: in two thousand they left Crimea for Ukraine. “Also our Catholic University in Lviv received a request of providing shelter to Tartar children”, added Msgr. Gudziak. “They haven’t arrived yet but we are waiting for them. Now, a month since the recognition of the annexation, the inhabitants of Crimea are forced to accept Russian citizenship and to deny their Ukrainian one. We don’t know what will be the penalties for those who refuse. But there is great fear.” The agreement signed in Brussels. The new government of Ukraine signed on March 21 in Brussels the first part of the association agreement with the European Union, regarding the political aspects. “It’s a step in the right direction – said bishop Gudziak – but the provision proposed in November, rejected by Yanukovich, was not an integral agreement. It would be interesting to reflect on whether this is evidence of Europe’s hesitation. It is unquestionably a complex agreement, owing to numerous chapters, economic options and challenges. It was also said that the economic association agreement would follow suit, but I think that Europe should be clear about its decisions and proceed without hesitations. Indeed, it could be best described as a half-way ratification. Europe argues that Ukraine is not ready to comply with the economic requests. My opinion is that Europe should reach a realistic agreement for which Ukraine is ready. We are in the midst of a serious crisis with a military attack under way and a violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity which questions international order.” A warning that comes from history. Do you feel the European Union has betrayed you? “Rather than betrayed – the bishop said – we realize that Europe hasn’t fully acknowledged the fact that the ongoing situation involves not only Europe but the entire world. The events of the 1930s, when the Olympic Games were held in Berlin to prove the glory of a State and of a leader, when Europe failed to react to the expansionistic goals of Germany and of the Anschluss, Germany’s union with Germany, are being repeated. As we all know, that ‘appeasement’ policy led to the Second World War, and to millions of deaths.” Moreover, “Puttin and Lavrov had assured that Russia would never have taken initiatives to seize Crimea and now we saw what happened”, the bishop concluded.