New West eparch pleads for peace in Ukraine

Bishop Ken Nowakowski says Church has tried to broker dialogue

Riot police stand in formation as their colleagues attempt to extinguish a fire during clashes with anti-government protesters in Independence Square in Kyiv Feb. 19. (Olga Yakimovich / CNS / Reuters)

Eparch Ken Nowakowski of New Westminster has again prayed and pleaded for peace in Ukraine.

“As the people struggle for greater democracy, well being and an end to corruption, the Church has stood by their side,” he said. 

No Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) clergy has been injured so far. Priests continue to be in the square “all the time as each hour they lead a short prayer service” alongside other churches.

The eparch (bishop) traveled to Independence Square in December 2013 and was an eyewitness to the once peaceful protests against President Viktor Yanukovych and his government’s pro-Russian stance.

Though the UGCC has remained politically neutral, the government threatened to rescind the Church’s legal status in January. The Ministry of Culture later stated the threat was a misunderstanding, yet no other church received a letter.