“No One and Nothing is Forgotten by God” — Head of the UGCC on the 80th Anniversary of the Deportation of Ukrainians from Zakerzonia
On September 8, 2024, Ukraine commemorates the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Ukrainians from the ethnic lands of Lemkivshchyna, Nadsyannya, Kholmshchyna, Podlasie, Lubachivshchyna, and Western Boikivshchyna in 1944–1951. On this occasion, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church addressed the head of the All-Ukrainian Society “Lemkivshchyna” and participants of the memorial events honoring the memory of their deported ancestors.
Deportation of Ukrainians from the village of Novosiltsiv (Sanok Country) to the USSR. March 1946. Photo by Ukrainian Institute of National Memory
In his letter, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed the sorrow that this day evokes among the Ukrainian people, especially against the backdrop of the current war with the Russian occupier. He noted that while this tragic date is now officially marked by the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians — Victims of Forced Resettlement, established by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, it remains crucial to honor the many victims of these harrowing events.
“As people of faith, we always hold to the immutable truth that no one is forgotten, and nothing is forgotten by God. Even if a person may overlook or be forced to ignore an important event, the Lord never does,” the Primate emphasized.
“Today, in our churches across Ukraine and abroad, we stand before the eternal God in prayer to remember the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians—innocent victims of deportation during the ‘prison of nations’, as the USSR was described by historians,” said the Head of the UGCC. He added: “Prayer unites us in the conviction that criminal acts must be exposed and the victims properly commemorated.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav’s letter was read by Fr. Oleksa Petriv, Head of the UGCC Department for External Relations in Ukraine, during the memorial ceremonies at St. Basil the Great Church on Lvivska Square in Kyiv.
The Father and Head of the UGCC wished all the participants abundant gifts from God and strength from the Holy Spirit to carry out dignified events in honor of their deported ancestors.
“May the ‘merciful and gracious Lord, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love’ (Psalm 102:8) bless all your good deeds,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav concluded, offering a bishop’s blessing.
Reference
The official deportation of the Ukrainian population began on September 9, 1944. This was a result of the Treaty between the Government of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Polish National Liberation Committee “On the Evacuation of the Ukrainian Population from the Territory of the Polish Republic and Polish Citizens from the Territory of the Ukrainian SSR,” and the Treaty between the USSR and the Polish People’s Republic “On the Exchange of State Territories” dated February 15, 1951. More than 700,000 Ukrainians, who were autochthonous to these regions, were forcibly resettled.
This deportation was the largest targeting the Ukrainian ethnic group and is regarded as the most severe form of political repression, equating to ethnocide.
By the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 8603 dated November 8, 2018, “On the Commemoration at the State Level of the 75th Anniversary of the Deportation of Autochthonous Ukrainians from Lemkivshchyna, Nadsyannya, Kholmshchyna, Podlasie, and Western Boikivshchyna in 1944–1951,” the Verkhovna Rada established the Day of Remembrance for Ukrainians—Victims of Forced Resettlement. This day is to be marked annually on the second Sunday of September to honor the victims of forced deportation from Ukrainian lands.
The UGCC Department for Information
