Dialogue is the only way out” “

A few days ago thousands took to the streets in Kiev to protest against the latest restrictive measures enacted by the government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The measures set harsher rules for public demonstrations, which include 10 years imprisonment for the occupation of public buildings, severe penalties for those who assemble tents on the street and for those who rally with their faces covered. “It’s a step towards dictatorship”, said the leader of the opposition in jail, Iulia Timoshenko, while the European Union-United States axis expressed concern for what they called “a leap into the past”. But on January 19, a Sunday night, the protests in Grushevski Street, opposite the Dinamo stadium, took the shape of a real guerrilla war with demonstrators throwing stones from the sidewalks and incendiary bottles, while police agents responded with tear gases. “The fact is – commented from Kiev father Mykhajlo Melnyk, director of the Committee for Justice and Peace of the Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine – that the demonstrations have been ongoing for months but people do not feel their claims were received. The culture of dialogue is completely absent. It’s a one-sided monologue. People have therefore continued the protests because they feel that it is the only way to make their voices be heard”. Ukraine thus wakes up?”Over the past months Ukrainian society has been experiencing a kairos, in the sense that citizens feel they are a People and as stated in the Church’s social doctrine, they acknowledged their responsibility in building the future of their country. Events sparked off with the failure to sign the Association Agreement with Europe. I was impressed by the words of José Manuel Barroso, EU Commission President, when he said that in Maidan Square in Kiev demonstrators “are writing the new narrative for Europe”. And while in Greece and other parts of Europe there are those who are struggling to leave the Union, in Ukraine the people took to the streets to express their consent to Europe. The people here are fighting to enter the community of European values, to obtain a right to participation, freedom of expression, freedom to vote and freedom of conscience. ” Sunday night there were new clashes. What should be said about the use of violence?”It is difficult at this time to give an accurate assessment of what has happened. But it is clear that violence produces nothing. It is peace that rules. The problem and the source of the tensions is the lack of dialogue. There was no will to get everyone around a table to decide the new structure of the country. Maidan is primarily a mobilization by young people. Also on behalf of the Justice and Peace Commission it can be said that the values of the social doctrine of the Church are present in the square, so are the values of solidarity, subsidiarity and of the common good. But without dialogue between civil society and the government there will always be violence and provocations”. Will you continue siding with the protesters despite the threats to the Greek-Catholic Church not to take the streets, later withdrawn by the Minister of Culture?”Yes. His Beatitude Sviatoslav (head of the Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine, ed.’s note) said that the Church is with civil society. There are also Christians among the protesters who are demonstrating their opposition, thus the Church must necessarily be near her people. They apologized and said that they acted under pressure from the secret services. But despite all this, His Beatitude said clearly that the Church is with her people, and where people are, we will be there forever. ” With what style will you be present on the streets?”There’s a tent in Maidan Square that serves as an ecumenical chapel. We are there. There are priests there for confession. Priests who pray the rosary for peace and collect the intentions of prayer of the people. A continuous chain of prayer for peace in Ukraine and for a peaceful solution to the tensions under way is recited inside the tent. I’m there too. The people want to speak with us to understand how to behave as Christians in the difficult socio-political situation of the country. As Pope Benedict writes in ‘Deus caritas est’, the Church does not want to assume the power of the State but to form people’s consciences and to build a civilization of love, which is precisely what Ukraine needs “.