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Pope speaks to Ukrainian pilgrims of 1930s famine

From the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday prayed that no political ideology would ever again cost people their freedom and dignity, as he recalled the millions who died from famine in Ukraine and other Soviet regions under dictator Josef Stalin.

The pontiff spoke in Ukrainian to pilgrims from that country in St. Peter’s Square, and noted that this month marks the anniversary of Holodomor, or Death by Hunger, as the famine is known in Ukraine.

Benedict said he prayed that “nations go forward on the paths of reconciliation and build the present and the future in reciprocal respect and in the sincere search for peace.”

Pope Benedicts words are a lot more bipartisan than his more charasmatic predecessor Pope John Paul II – don’t expect much help from them!

Ukrainian-Canadians mark famine’s 75th anniversary

From Sympatico/MSN news:

Ukrainian-Canadians spent Saturday marking the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor, the nightmarish famine that killed millions in the Ukraine in the early 1930s.

National Holodomor Awareness Week in Canada begins this weekend with candlelight vigils and other events Saturday, and memorial services at Ukrainian churches across the country on Sunday.

Also in the article is a great news clip from Edmonton.

Holodomor news round-up – Oct 22 2008

Holdomor Chain of Remembrance today

Today in the Bloor West Village (between Jane and Kennedy Park Rd) at 4:45pm, the Ukrainian community will get together to form a Chain of Remembrance:

Sat. Nov. 22nd is the International Holodomor Remembrance Day. The Toronto Ukrainian Community will be joining together to form a Chain of Remembrance along Bloor St. West. We invite individuals, families, and organizations to come together and come out to tell the rest of the city about the Holodomor.

So much has been accomplished in the last year- school boards and legislatures across the country have recognized the Holodomor. These are great achievements, but we still have make sure that the general public knows the terror that swept through Ukraine in 1932-33.

Let’s band together one final time this year, our entire community, our youth with our Holodomor survivors. Let’s remember our impact four years ago during Ukraine’s Orange Revolution- together we can make a difference, together we will be heard.

Each organization will be represented along various parts of Bloor St. The Ukrainian National Federation will be meeting at 4:45PM in front of the Ukrainian Credit Union on the South
Side of Bloor St. and we invite all of our members and their family to attend this very important event.

Ukraine Remembers, the World Acknowledges!

Watch ‘The Soviet Story’

A documentary film by a Latvian director that shows the Soviet Union helped Nazi Germany instigate the Holocaust.Furthermore,it’s a documentary about the Soviet crimes against humanity and its own people. More importantly, it underlines the similarity of Soviet and Nazi regimes and undisputed ways of how they helped and supported each other.

It ends with a conclusion of how Europe lacks political will to fully condemn Communist crimes against humanity because �this is not how the world works. With Germany and Russia building gas pipelines together, it is difficult to imagine one being vocal against the other, and requiring e.g extradition of former Soviet KGB interrogators who tortured many people to death. They continue to live in Moscow as decorated veterans.

The documentary “The Soviet Story” is directed by Edvins Snore, who spent 10 years gathering information and two years filming in several countries. Among those interviewed in the film are Western and Russian historians, as well as survivors of the Soviet Gulag. This is not a pure documentary and not a pure scholarly work. It injects drama and cinematography that goes beyond what we usually see in documentaries. 

Click here to watch it in its entirety.