THE REACTION OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC CLERGY TO THE FORCED DEATH OF OLGA BASARAB IN 1924

Abstract

In a scientific article, the author identifies the reaction of the Greek Catholic clergy to the death of Olga Basarab. It is noted that the violent death of Olga Levytskа (Basarab) on the night of 12 to 13 February 1924 received a wide public response in Galician-Ukrainian society, further exacerbated the Ukrainian-Polish relations at the time. Priests of the Greek Catholic Church have participated in many chambers and other mourning ceremonies in her memory. One of the most active priests was priest Leontiy Kunitsky, a public figure, member of the Ukrainian Labor Party, and prelate chancellor of the Metropolitan Chapter in Lviv. O. Basarab’s funeral turned into a large protest action, which was attended by several thousand people from different parts of Galicia.

Polish government officials persuaded representatives of the GCC metropolitan curia to influence priests to refuse to worship for suicides because it contradicted the Church’s canons. Representatives of the Polish authorities emphasized that these devotions were not religious but political in nature.

The author of the article emphasizes that the violent death of Olga Basarab intensified the public activities of the Greek Catholic clergy. Every year in the days of her remembrance (February 12–13), the nationally conscious clergy of the GCC held mourning services in the temples. Such funeral services for the soul of the Ukrainian patriot O. Basarab have become a national tradition. This is evidenced by reports of contemporary Ukrainian magazines during the 1930s, some materials from regional archives, and so on. This tradition was not interrupted during the Nazi occupation of 1941–1944, it existed, in honor of the Ukrainian diaspora, and in the postwar years.

Keywords: Greek Catholic clergy, Olga Basarab, Polish government structures, Father Leontiy Kunitsky, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education.