Ukrainian Catholic challenges Komsomol (12/27/87)

Ukrainian Catholic challenges Komsomol

LONDON - A young Ukrainian Catholic has challenged Sobesednik, the weekly supplement to Komsomolskaya Pravda, to enter into a public debate about religion in the USSR. Ihor Klymenko, a 27-year-old Ukrainian Catholic, claims in an outspoken letter to the editors that he would be "interested to cross swords with Komsomol members on the subject of religion," reported the Ukrainian Press Agency based in London.

Although himself a former Komsomol member, Mr. Klymenko claims that he does not understand why so many young people join the ranks of the organization. He remembers well the meetings at his school and college and describes his opinion of them in a single world as "boring."

The letter provides an insight into how the Ukrainian Catholic Church functions in the underground. Liturgy is celebrated in private homes and usually consists of singing hymns and listening to Vatican Radio broadcasts. Religious literature is brought into the country by tourists and relatives, and is then copied by hand and passed on to others.

Mr. Klymenko asserts his faith by saying that he would be prepared to die for it and believes that many others like him would do the same. He asks how many members of the Komsomol are likewise devoted to the ideals of their organization. He ends his letter by stating "your silence on this subject will be treated as a defeat and as an attempt at evading the truth."

Surprisingly, Sobesednik printed the letter and invited readers to take up the offer. It poses the question of how atheistic propaganda should be taught today in Soviet schools.

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