Over 1,000 attend ecumenical service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan (05/05/96)

Over 1,000 attend ecumenical service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan

by Roman Woronowycz

NEW YORK - More than 1,000 people gathered at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on April 26 with religious leaders and politicians to commemorate the Chornobyl disaster that has affected hundreds of thousands in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

On hand were leaders of the Ukrainian Catholic, the Ukrainian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches, as well as representatives from the United Nations, the governments of the United States and Ukraine.

Cardinal John O'Connor, archbishop of New York, greeted the attendees after a brief ecumenical prayer service led by Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Basil Losten of the Stamford Eparchy, Ukrainian Orthodox Bishop Vsevolod and their respective clergy. He also introduced Archbishop Renato R. Martino, permanent representative of the Holy See to the United Nations.

A procession of dignitaries then proceeded to the microphone introduced by Alex Kuzma, coordinator for "Chornobyl Challenge96."

Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations Anatoliy Zlenko read a statement from Ukraine's Leonid Kuchma. The president emphasized that the Chornobyl catastrophe is a global disaster not from the past, but an ongoing calamity. "It is a longstanding and universal tragedy," he stated.

He paid tribute to those who gave their lives, who "stepped into the nuclear hell, protecting us with their bodies from the unpredictable, saving the Earth."

Mention was made of the $3 billion that Ukraine has spent on Chornobyl, five times more than the total allocations for education, health and culture.

New York Gov. George Pataki, who had proclaimed April 22-26 Chornobyl Remembrance Week, also spoke. He said that Chornobyl was another example of the fundamental flaw of communism. "At Chornobyl, that reckless and irresponsible use became a killing force. Eventually it helped to kill communism."

He called April 26, 1996 "a day of rebirth and renewal" for the Chornobyl survivors.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a statement read by Karl Frederick Inderfurth, assistant U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, commended the work of humanitarian relief organizations and "the courageous individuals who have cared for the innocent victims of this calamity." He reasserted the U.S. commitment to "help Ukraine develop a more vibrant, self-sustaining energy sector that will advance its prosperity as a sovereign nation in the new Europe."

A statement also was read on behalf of United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali by Under Secretary General Samir Sanbar expressing continued U.N. concern for the crisis.

The Dumka Choir of New York ended the commemoration with a mellifluous rendering of "Bozhe Velykiy Yedynyj," filling the expanses of the cavernous cathedral with singular voice.

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