Ukrainian cardinal defends decision to support president

Published: 2007-04-27

KIEV, Ukraine (CNS) -- The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has defended his decision to support President Viktor Yushchenko's recent dismissal of parliament, which some argue has deepened a constitutional crisis. "Our declaration didn't back any party -- it merely recalled that the church has not forgotten people, nor has God," said Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Kiev-Halych, in an April 24 interview with Ukraine's Fokus weekly. "Matters have advanced so far that there's now a need for urgent consultations with the nation," he said. "There appears to be no contact at all between the nation and its rulers." Yushchenko issued a decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, April 2. He claimed political deadlock was preventing reforms agreed upon after Ukraine's December 2004 Orange Revolution. Supporters of Ukraine's pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich rejected the president's decision. Although the Constitutional Court is set to rule on the dispute, its neutrality and effectiveness have been questioned widely. Elections for parliament currently are set for June 24.

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