New Vote Best Solution, Says Cardinal Husar
Rome (Catholic News Service, by John Thavis) — The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in Rome to confer with Pope John Paul II, said a new presidential vote with international monitors was the best and simplest way out of Ukraine's electoral crisis. Catholic News Service reported this on 3 December 2004 .
Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Lviv made the remarks at a Rome press conference Dec. 3, shortly before the Ukrainian Supreme Court invalidated a November election that had been awarded to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
Opposition party candidate Viktor Yushchenko, along with many international observers and church leaders, had said the elections were marred by fraud. The Supreme Court's decision called for a new runoff Dec. 26.
Cardinal Husar said Ukrainian Catholics had been quietly praying for the Supreme Court to "do what was right," recognizing that the judges were under extreme pressure from the government.
The cardinal said he planned to meet the pope Dec. 9 to discuss the crisis. He said he would thank the pontiff for his recent prayers for Ukraine and also would ask him to make a public statement emphasizing the moral duty of governments to hold fair elections.
Cardinal Husar said he understood the Vatican's reluctance to intervene directly in political matters, but he said the pope could simply underline that "a state or government or ruling power has to observe moral principles and has to be guided by them and respect the people it serves."
It could be "something general but quite clear in its content," he added.
The pope's statements urging prayers for the Ukrainian people have been played and replayed on Ukrainian TV, a sign that Ukrainians understand the pope's deep concern, the cardinal said.
Cardinal Husar said the contested election poses a problem for the Vatican's ecumenical experts, who have been trying to improve dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church. Russia has backed Yanukovych, and Russian Orthodox leaders in Ukraine have not joined other Christian leaders in protesting the election as a violation of human rights, Cardinal Husar said.
"You have to understand that for Russia to lose Ukraine is a terrible loss. So they will try to do anything not to lose us. They do not hesitate to use the (Russian Orthodox) church for this purpose," he said.
"I suspect there certainly are those in the Vatican who are sensitive to this problem," he said. "Those who want to maintain a running dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church naturally are not at ease about the dismal situation."
Cardinal Husar said the election was marred by a group of current leaders who have "accumulated riches and are trying to protect those riches at any cost," using autocratic means to try to crush democratic expression.
The cardinal said a new election should be monitored by international experts, such as monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He said that in the previous election, many deceased people turned up on voting rolls while legitimate citizens -- like himself -- were not listed and could not cast a vote.
Cardinal Husar warned that the current group of Ukrainian leaders were desperate to hold onto power. He said it was still possible that they would deliberately provoke a violent confrontation with demonstrators who have filled squares peacefully to protest the earlier vote.
The cardinal said church leaders, including bishops and priests, have joined the demonstrators to show their solidarity and call for "a fundamental correction ... a return to justice." The demonstrations have been amazingly quiet and thoughtful at times, he said.
"The people have shown themselves to be very religious. There has been a lot of praying, and people are still praying," he said.
Cardinal Husar said he thought the current crisis had demonstrated that most Ukrainians want a better and different future for Ukraine, one based on the rule of law and economic fairness.
"This is not a revolution in any sense. But morally and spiritually, I would call it a turning point. I think Ukraine will never be the same and is on the road to a completely better future," he said.
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