Fr. Romaniuk Asks Support Of Christians in West (12/31/77)

Fr. Romaniuk Asks Support Of Christians in West

KESTON, England - Four new documents from the Rev. Vasyl Romaniuk, the Ukrainian Orthodox priest imprisoned in the Mordovian labor camp complex in the Soviet Union, have reached Keston College in England.

Fr. Romaniuk has managed to send two previous batches of documents to the West from Mordovia in which he complained of the injustice of his sentence in 1972 to two years in prison, five years in a labor camp and three years internal exile, and asked for Western support in obtaining his release.

Three of the documents are concerned with the problems of political prisoners in general, but the fourth which is undated, is specifically concerned with religion. It is addressed to the editor of "Osservatore Romano" the Vatican newspaper, and is a strongIy-worded appeal to the Western world, especially Christians, to support those persecuted for their religious convictions in the USSR.

Fr. Romaniuk describes the sense of isolation he feels in the labor camp because of the situation in his native Ukraine:

"...In Ukraine the percentage of believers is higher than in Russia, and the most dirty methods of struggle are employed against the Church. The constant repression, persecution and humiliation have led to there being no solidarity at all between the Orthodox clergy in Ukraine and the believers. If one of their brothers falls into misfortune, then all turn their backs on him, and if a priest is unknown, his family lives in poverty."

Fr. Romaniuk states that his son has been expelled from the Lviv University "on the direct instructions of the KGB" and that he himself is "a kind of scarecrow" to his friends "especially the priests." None of them writes to him and only the Russian orthodox priests, Fr. Sergei Zheludkov and Fr. Gleb Yakunin, maintain any contact with him. He knows that letters are sent to him from abroad, but the camp authorities do not pass them on to him, although sometimes they tauntingly show them to him from a distance.

Fr. Romaniuk describes the consequences of this lack of support from Christians:

"...The dissidents who are with me in the labor camp for their convictions would like to see a model of love and solidarity in the Christian world. But if believers see yet remain silent, unbelieving dissidents reproach all worldwide Christianity with amorphousness and indifference. They say: 'What are these millions of Christians good for? The Soviet Union dictates its will to the world, at the same time crudely violating human rights. It persecutes Christians with unceremonious insolence. And the Christian world not only remains silent, but even signs various agreements with this country.'"

A Ukrainian Committee for the Defense of Religion is soon to be formed, according to Fr. Romaniuk's letter. He says that it will be ecumenical and that possible participants are Orthodox, Catholics and Evangelical Christians and Baptists. Its aim will be to demand the government not to violate the law on freedom of conscience.

He asks international Christian and other organizations to support the committee when it is formed since the leadership of the country, whom he describes as "yesterday's men...who try to solve all problems with the aid of naked force" may be expected to respond with repressions against the committee members.

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