A delegation from the Ukrainian Catholic Church met with Australian politicians in Sydney
On Thursday, December 11, His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, and Fr. Lubomyr Yavorsky, Patriarchal economist of the UGCC, who is currently in Australia, met with leading parliamentarians from the state of New South Wales.
The meetings, which took place in Sydney—at the Parliament House and in the government quarter—along with the UGCC delegation, were attended by Ms. Kateryna Argyrou, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Sydney and Chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, and Mr. Andrew Mencinsky, President of the Ukrainian Council of NSW (UCNSW).
They met with The Honourable Chris Minns MP, Premier of New South Wales; Ms Kellie Sloane MP, Leader of the Opposition; and The Honourable Greg Piper MP, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
During the meetings, Bishop Mykola spoke about the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is being held in Australia for the first time, as well as the current situation in Ukraine and the challenges facing the Ukrainian people, in particular humanitarian difficulties. The bishop emphasized: “russia is systematically striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, power plants, and gas networks with the aim of ‘freezing people inside the country’ and causing a new wave of humanitarian crisis.”
The participants of the meetings paid special attention to the situation of the most vulnerable categories of the population—children and the elderly, who suffer the most from the consequences of the war. Statistics were provided on the thousands of Ukrainian children whom russia has forcibly removed from the occupied territories, and it was emphasised that many children in Ukraine still do not have access to full-fledged education since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schoolchildren who should now be in grades 3–4 cannot read.
Australian parliamentarians were also presented with the critical situation in Ukrainian education: more than 43,000 teachers have been forced to evacuate or have become refugees, and in many communities there is no one left to teach children. As the participants of the meeting emphasised, the state of the education system is one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of our time.
Father Lubomyr presented the activities of the Patriarchal Foundation “Mudra Sprava” and talked about how this organisation helps those who have suffered most from the consequences of the war. “Many elderly people find themselves in a dramatic situation: they have lost their homes, land, farms, or businesses and are now left without a means of subsistence. It is thanks to the Church and other charitable organisations that many of them have found shelter and the opportunity to live in temporary accommodation.”
The participants of the meetings also spoke about Ukrainian veterans, in particular the large number of soldiers who have undergone amputations and the support provided to them by the church. They also mentioned those who are currently in Russian captivity, emphasising how important it is to secure their release as soon as possible.
The Ukrainian delegation thanked the parliamentarians for their consistent support of Ukraine and Ukrainians who have settled in New South Wales.
At the end of each meeting, Bishop Mykola presented the politicians with symbolic Christmas gifts brought from Ukraine—an icon of the Nativity of Christ and a Christmas tree angel ornament, which were given by Ukrainian veterans.
catholicukes.au