After the fall of the Soviet Union, the independent Ukrainian country underwent tremendous stress when it shifted from a centrally planned economy to a free market system. Those changes, led by the post-communist oligarchy, caused an increasing number of impoverished and homeless people in Ukraine. The crime rate and the prison population grew until 2001. Changes in penal policy of the Ukrainian government started after the pontifical visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine.
Prison pastoral care was at the very heart of the spirituality of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church throughout her history. Prison Pastoral Care of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, though it is still very young, is taking successive steps to integrity. It was restored in 1990 after the Church, formerly forbidden, emerged from the underground. Pastoral care has grown steadily from several establishments in the Western Part of Ukraine to more than 40 penal institutions in every region of the country.
Prison statistics.
Prison pastoral care was at the very heart of the spirituality of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church throughout her history. Prison Pastoral Care of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, though it is still very young, is taking successive steps to integrity. It was restored in 1990 after the Church, formerly forbidden, emerged from the underground. Pastoral care has grown steadily from several establishments in the Western Part of Ukraine to more than 40 penal institutions in every region of the country.
Prison statistics.
In 2010-2011 the number of remand prisoners increased sharply. Beginning in July 2012, the prison population fell from 154,000 to 79,750 in December 2014. The Donbass has 20% of all prisons functioning in Ukraine. Donetsk and Lugansk regions have 20 and 16 prison facilities respectively. Twice more than any other region in Ukraine.[1] Convicts were released without any government programs for rehabilitation, destabilizing these regions. Government of Ukraine lost control under four Crimean prisons in March 2014 when Russia occupied and annexed Crimea. The functioning of 29 prisons in militant-controlled areas of Donbass deteriorated after the 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. During the 2014-15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, hundreds of dangerous convicted criminals from prisons in Donbass were armed by the pro-Russian militants.[2][3] Other prisoners have been used as slave labourers. Lack of food and drinking water affected 16,200 inmates.  |
| The map shows the location of prisons on the territory of Ukraine. A characteristic fact is that there are 29 prisons on the occupied territory of Donbass in Eastern Ukraine. Region is most overcrowded by prisons. |
Features.
Penitentiary pastoral ministry of the UGCC is a Catholic Prison Ministry in Ukraine founded on international principles of religious assistance in prisons praised during the XII UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. On Juhn 11, 2015 went into force a Law about chaplaincy in prisons #419-VIII "On Amendments to Several Legislative Acts of Ukraine (regarding activity of chaplains in the bodies and institutions belonging to the jurisdiction of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine). Main points of new Law are as follows:
- Chaplains are assigned by Church, recognized by State, but not paid.
- Churches and religious unions have the Inter-confessional pastoral counsel as an advisory body for head prison administration of Ukraine.
- Any prisoner should have access to prison pastor without any obstacles.
- Conversation between priest and prisoner is protected from taping; information from Confession could not be matter for pre-trial and criminal investigation or could not be used as a proof in court.
- Special 4-days program training is demanded for prison pastor for most important instructions about prison system.
The mission is to serve the inmates in the national penitentiaries with Christian charity and reconciliation through extensive ministry to the spiritual and physical needs of prisoners of any creed, sex, age, religious faith, or nationality. The priority directions of the ministry are sermon, catechetics, administration of the sacraments for inmates, assistance and support of communication with family, spiritual support of the prison stuff, engagement of lay people in ministry.
According «The Agreement for cooperation of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church with State Penal Department of Ukraine» today pastoral ministry is regularly carried out in penitentiary facilities #14, 30, 34, 40, 41, 44, 46, 47, 48, 50, 55, 63, 85, 105, 112, 128, 135 in seven investigatory isolators and in one juvenile prison of Ukraine. 8 more prisons our pastors have the opportunity to attend only occasionally.
Number of active prison chaplains has demined because of different circumstances:
- Prison pastoral care was suspended in prisons # 3, 13, 120, 124 after Russian military intervention in 2014 and the occupation of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
- In Occupied Crimea catholic pastoral care is impossible as well.
- Four chaplains don’t have access because the Sambor and Berezhany juvenile correctional facilities and the prisons #110 118 are temporarily preserved.
- Four prison chaplains became pastors for military forces.
Number of active prison chaplains has demined because of different circumstances:
- Prison pastoral care was suspended in prisons # 3, 13, 120, 124 after Russian military intervention in 2014 and the occupation of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
- In Occupied Crimea catholic pastoral care is impossible as well.
- Four chaplains don’t have access because the Sambor and Berezhany juvenile correctional facilities and the prisons #110 118 are temporarily preserved.
- Four prison chaplains became pastors for military forces.
The UGCC became an active member of The International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC) at the XII-th World Congress, held in Rome in September 2007. The ICCPPC is a worldwide Association of country delegates for Catholic Prison Pastoral Care, composed of clerical and lay persons. The Board of the ICCPPC-Europe has gathered on January 2012 in Lviv (Western Ukraine) to analyze the development of the international cooperation in the region. Conference was headed by Rev. Msgr. Pawel Wojtas (Poland), vice-president of the ICCPPC and Fr. Marc Helfer (France), chief representative of the ICCPPC-Europe. 
In July - August 2013 representative of the UGCC took an active part in interdenominational group for the development of proposals for the Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (concerning the regulation of the activities of chaplains in the organs and institutions belonging to the jurisdiction of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine) № 3233.
On July 20, 2014 before a crowd of 200,000 faithful at the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Zarvanytsia in Ukraine, Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk solemnly proclaimed Blessed Bishop and Martyr Vasyl Velychkovsky as patron of prison ministry for Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The blessed hieromartyr and years-long prisoner of the Soviet GULAG and the locum tenens of the underground Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine was elected not by chance: he got to the NKVD confines, and during his stay in inhuman conditions in the death ward the saint showed by his own example how to preserve human dignity and teach it other people.The UGCC invites the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine for an annual pilgrimage to the Saint Dormition Monastery of Univ (Lviv region). This pilgrimage for the workers of the prison system of Ukraine, named “Justice, Faith and Mercy!”. Penitentiary stuff is also involved the military pilgrimage to Zarvanytsya.
Experts of the UGCC participated promotive in an interdenominational group drafting the Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (concerning the regulation of the activities of chaplains in the organs and institutions belonging to the jurisdiction of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, which went into force on 11 June 2015. Now they continue cooperation in the Supreme Council Committee for Legislative Support of Law Enforcement elaborating bills that regulate prison pastoral care in Ukraine.
In the Year of Marcy held in the Jubilee dozens of events in prison with participation of 6 local bishops. For details go to http://prison-pastoral.blogspot.com/On August 30, 2016, by the initiative of the UGCC, in the Institute of Criminal-Executive Service in Kyiv has been established Department of pastoral practice and prison ethics in view to necessity of interdisciplinary study of the penitentiary problems.
UGCC is a member of the Ukrainian Interdenominational Christian Mission "Spiritual and Charitable Care in Prisons", which includes twelve Churches and Denominations.
In European Sub-region of the ICCPPC the UGCC is best related to Catholic Prison Ministry in Poland and Latvia having common meetings and sharing experiences every year.
Difficulties in the transition period of penitentiary reform.
Chaplains are not paid by state. Most diocesan prison chaplains don’t have their annual budget. It is difficult, especially during the war, to convince benefactors of the importance of maintaining prison chaplaincy. Penitentiary workers are demoralized because of staff reductions, the uncertainty of their status and future of their job. The lack of personnel affects the work of chaplains, because of rules that one officer should accompany chaplain anywhere.
Opportunities:
After the introduction of the Law on chaplaincy have been removed obstacles in prisons and the number of visits to prisoners is not limited. Beginning of the institute of probation allows broader participation of the Church in dialling with offenders and the crime prevention.
CONTACTS:
Most Rev. Michael Koltun,
Bishop of Sokal and Zhovkva, Head of The Department of the UGCC for Pastoral Care in Power Structures of Ukraine (in Military Forces and in Penitentiary System)
Bishop of Sokal and Zhovkva, Head of The Department of the UGCC for Pastoral Care in Power Structures of Ukraine (in Military Forces and in Penitentiary System)
P.O.Box B-125
Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine
fax: +38044 278-61-84
e-mail: sokal.zhovkva@gmail.com
Fr. Constantin Panteley, Head of The Office for Pastoral Care in Penitentiary System of Ukraine
P.O.Box B-125
Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine
fax: +38044 279-19-20
mob.ph. +38098 422-9-221
e-mail: panteley@ukr.net
skype: constantin.panteley
P.O.Box B-125
Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine
fax: +38044 279-19-20
e-mail: ugcc.penitentiary@gmail.com
Pavlo Zagorodnov
Volunteer Program Coordinator of the Office for Pastoral Care in Penitentiary System of Ukraine
P.O.Box B-125
Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine
fax: +38044 279-19-20
mob.ph. +38097 397-29-40
e-mail: zagorodnov.p@gmail.com
Report about prison ministry of
the RCC in Ukraine
Roman
Catholic Church in Ukraine has 7 dioceses. Because of lack of pastoral
resources, regular pastoral care is established just in 11 prisons:
- Lviv - Remad Prison and Prison Facility
- in Rivne (detention center) and Prison of Horodyshche,
- High security prison of Izaslav,
- Raykivtsi (Khmelnytsky region).,
- Prison of Kharkiv,
- Prison of Vinnitsa,
- Prison of Sumy,
- Prison of Poltava,
- Prison of Odessa.
In
6 more prisons pastors could come just occasionally
Prisons
regularly attends 7 priests and 3 pastoral assistants.
The
most active prison chaplains are Oblate Fathers. Since 2011 till now there are significant
obstacles in visiting penal institutions under various pretexts. In particular,
authorities have given a need for priests who have Polish citizenship to execute
each time a separate permit to visit one institution. These restrictions are
introduced by President Yanukovych, but they are still applied.
In
the Year of Marcy held in the Jubilee the events in prison with participation
of local bishop in Lviv.
RCC
in Ukraine is a member of the Ukrainian Interdenominational Christian Mission
"Spiritual and Charitable Care in Prisons", as mentioned before,
includes twelve Churches and Denominations.
Catholic Churches are members of
the Inter-confessional pastoral counsel as an advisory body for head prison
administration of Ukraine
Contacts:
Fr. Gregory Draus,
Head Chaplain
of the Roman Catholic Church in
Ukraine
cell. 00380975170642
fax:
00380362242601
e-mail:
draus@ukr.net
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