In Lviv, townspeople quarreled violently over a monument to the leader of the Greek Catholics
Lvov, March 10 (PolitNavigator, Alexandra Ignatieva) – In Lvov, the scandal surrounding the construction of a monument to Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, who in the first half of the last century was the leader of the Greek Catholic Church, is gaining momentum.
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They want to erect the monument in the square opposite the Cathedral of St. George, for which one of the main city highways will be moved and trees in the neighboring park will be cut down, one part of the activists claims. A whole protest movement of hundreds of people has been created in the city, who promise to be on duty in the park around the clock. “We are not against the monument, but against the destruction of trees and the relocation of the road,” explained activist Anton Savidi, as quoted by Vesti.
As “Your City” writes, the townspeople even held an action – a joint breakfast – against the cutting down of trees.
Social activists are also against spending on the monument, which they plan to build for 30 million UAH from the city budget.
The explanations of Hieromonk Justin Boyko in defense of the monument also caused resonance among the townspeople. In his opinion, opponents of the construction of the monument serve someone else’s interests - those who did not receive kickbacks, or “Moscow propaganda.” He also said that talk about cutting down trees is manipulation.
The authors of the project for the monument to Sheptytsky state, in turn, that patrons of the arts will help with the construction, and the budget money is, rather, a safety net.
Local moral authority, vice-rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University Miroslav Marinovich, in an open letter, complains that Lviv residents quarreled over the monument to Sheptytsky and asks them to come to their senses: “The Metropolitan said that “Ukraine does not need other enemies, when Ukrainians themselves are enemies of Ukrainians.” I don’t want to preserve Svyatoyursky Square at the cost of the unity of the Lviv community. And I don’t want a monument to Sheptytsky, built by those who do not respect his words.”
Lviv residents clashed over a monument to the leader of the Greek Catholic Church.