Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
“Let’s pray for all the victims of the Holodomor, as well as for peace in Ukraine,” Bishop Mykola in Melbourne
November 25, 2023
Today, Ukrainians in different parts of the world commemorate the Memorial Day of the victims of the Holodomor of 1932–33. On this occasion, in the Cathedral Church of Sts Peter and Paul in Melbourne, clergy and laity gathered for joint prayer for millions of our countrymen, innocently tortured 90 years ago.
The memorial service was led by Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, in co-service with Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk, administrator of the cathedral, Fr. Myroslav Vons, assistant priest, protodeacon Edward Kostraby, and deacon Michael Zylan, Chancellor of the Eparchy. Fr. Ruslan Babii from Ardeer, Fr. Iurii Tychenok from Geelong, and Fr. Bohdan Vozniak, administrator of the Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Melbourne, also joined the service.
After the end of the commemorative service, the bishop addressed the audience with a speech in which he emphasised that the Holodomor and the current war in Ukraine are genocides against our people. “For more than a year and a half, russia has been committing genocide against the Ukrainian nation, as it did during the Holodomor of 1932–33. With only one difference: the first genocide was due to famine, and today it is due to war crimes against humanity.” “This tragedy affects everyone,” continued the bishop. “Millions of our relatives, fellow villagers, and countrymen tortured by hunger are not just victims of the injustice of the regime. This is the extermination of the bearers of our Ukrainian tradition, culture, and spiritual values. In 1932–33, Ukraine lost approximately 7–10 million people. A third of them were children.”
Bishop Mykola said that despite the silence of the Holodomor, there were those who called on the world community to help the starving. These are Cardinal Theodor Innitzer of Vienna, publicist Ewald Ammende, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, and others who bravely tried to tell the truth. Therefore, in conclusion, Bishop Mykola called on all the faithful and all people of goodwill to pray for remembrance and solidarity: “Let’s spread the truth about the war in Ukraine and around the world, so that the false information of the enemy does not find a place in people’s hearts. We pray for all the victims of the Holodomor, as well as for peace in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and the whole world.”
