Cardinal Lubachivsky's reaction: CBS commits "a grave injustice" (11/06/94)

CONTINUING REACTION TO "60 MINUTES" REPORT

Cardinal Lubachivsky's reaction: CBS commits "a grave injustice"

Below is the statement of Cardinal Myroslav Ivan Cardinal Lubachivsky, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, regarding the "60 Minutes" segment "The Ugly Face of Freedom." The statement was released by the Press Office of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church on October 26. It was presented to CBS officials on October 30 by a delegation representing the Ukrainian American community.

The American television network CBS recently broadcast a report, "The Ugly Face of Freedom," on anti-Semitism in western Ukraine. Upon viewing the report, one has the impression that all Ukrainians in western Ukraine are anti-Semitic and eager to rid Ukraine of all non-ethnic Ukrainians. I feel this is a grave injustice.

If the producer of the report, Jeffrey Fager, and the correspondent, Morley Safer, were interested in presenting a balanced report, I believe they would have also included the fact that Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky distributed a pastoral letter against the persecution of Jews in Ukraine titled, "Thou Shalt Not Kill," and that the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, particularly Metropolitan Sheptytsky, hid hundreds of Jews in monasteries and convents.

Under no circumstances do Ukrainians deny that there was a Galician Division in the German Army. But it is erroneous to present this simply as "fighting for Hitler." This was a perhaps misguided way of fighting for an independent Ukraine against the Red Army.

There is anti-Semitism in Ukraine - just as there is in the United States, France, Poland, Italy and many other countries. There are neo-fascists in Ukraine. They are also Germany, France, Italy and Austria. This is not the sentiment of the entire people. To try and represent all Ukrainians in this manner is by no means a method of resolving the issue.

I must also add that my office was misled as to the actual thrust of the report. Mr. Fager presented the piece as one about "post-Communist Ukraine." If the reasons why such anti-Semitic sentiments exist in Ukraine were of interest, they could have been discussed and debated. I can only deduce that the goal of the report was to present all western Ukrainians as rabid anti-Semites.

Ukraine today is a nation trying to shake off the legacy of centuries of imperialism and occupation. Its goal is to be a just nation for all its citizens - whatever their ethnic background. There are difficulties along the way, and there are people who exploit these difficulties.

Only by facing the truth, even if it is a bitter one, can we as a nation learn from it. We have a history which kept us from being a part of the world community, and this ignorance led to some actions and decisions which can cast a negative shadow over our people as a whole.

I urge the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to register their displeasure with the one-sidedness of the CBS report. Ask for a fair representation of the issue.

In closing, allow me to encourage all Ukrainians to recognize all aspects of our common history. Let us live in peace with all God's children and look towards a better future for our beloved Ukraine.

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