Source: http://rusvesna.su/news/1426608080

Translated from the Russian by Alexander

March 17, 2015

Metropolitan Andrey SheptytskyThe Ukrainian governement started another campaign of historic proportions. On the central square of Lviv they want to raise a giant monument of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky who led the so-called Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for 44 years (1900-1944). For this the Ukrainian authorities are ready for anything – even spend a budget of $ 1.3 million and dismantle the square. At the same time, the country is on the verge of economic collapse.

The reason for this urgent display of honor is apparently the fact that on July 1, 1941 (the day after the Nazis occupied Lviv) A. Sheptytsky addressed the congregation with a welcome message for this cause. After that, he met with the leader of OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists), Stepan Bandera, and blessed him for his fight against the Soviets.

In the light of Uniate’s prosecution of the Orthodox Church, that’s now being carried out throughout western and central Ukraine, accompanied by the beating of believers, seizure of churches and blackmailing of priests, the installation of a monument of Uniates „headliner“ undoubtedly looks like a political action.

Well-known historian and author of several textbooks Evgeny Spitsyn commented:

„It is not clear how Ukrainian authorities want to commemorate A. Sheptytsky. He had been a servant of the Lord, just as in his time the famous French Foreign Minister Charles Talleyrand was and he is a decendant of the Polish Count Sheptytsky.

If they set a monument for him like for the first Ukrainian nationalists – that certainly would be nonsense. Firstly, he faithfully served the Austrians. There is evidence that his appointment to the rank of Metropolitan of Galicia was sanctioned by the Emperor Franz Joseph. And when in 1938 the USSR annexed Galicia, he began writing enthusiastic letters to Stalin in the style of „what a blessing that we are reunited with the brotherly people…“ When the Germans took Kiev, Sheptytsky sent a sparkling ode to Hitler: „Thank you, Adolf, invincible commander!“. Later, when Soviet troops liberated Lviv, he said in September 1944 in his local pseudo-church council that communism is the progressive movement, called the clergy of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to actively cooperate with the Soviet authorities, condemned Stepan Bandera and demanded that the UPA fighters lay down their arms.

Today, we see almost an identical figure in the person of defrocked Filaret [Denyssenko?].

It is interesting, that literally just two months after his fabulous performances at the council (November 1944) Sheptytsky died. Historians still argue whether he kicked the bucket by himself or someone helped him do it.

Some researchers, including the initiators of the monument cited Sheptytsky as especially sympathetic towards Banderovites. On the other hand there were proposals to assign him to the righteous of the world for hiding Jews during the occupation (which the same Banderovites exterminated).

Try to be all things to all men. Typical Galician brown-noser of the type ,,who pays the piper calls the tune“.