Roman Shukhevych thanked Sheptytsky for sending the Uniate priest to the German 201st Schutzmanschaft Battalion, where in 1942 Shukhevych served as deputy commander.
The correspondence between the Uniate Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky and a member of the OUN Roman Shukhevych was published on the Internet, reports journalist and blogger Miroslava Berdnik on Facebook.
“A bold exclamation mark is put in the story with Hauptmann Shukhevych with a letter written by him and Major Pobiguschy from Belorussia, where the 201st Schutzmannschaft battalion, as part of the SS punitive corps of General von de Sheptim Bach-Zalevsky, combating the partisans of Belorussia, took part in the fight against the partisans and civilians, to Metropolitan Sheptytsky who spiritually cares for this death-squad,” wrote Miroslava Berdnik.
Berdnik recalls that at the time of writing the letter (March 1942), Roman Shukhevych served as deputy commander in the 201st security battalion (Schutzmannschaft Battalion 201) and was a member of the German Army.
As can be seen from the letter, Andriy Sheptytsky sent a Uniate priest to Shukhevych’s Schutzmanschaft battalion.
Here is the translation of the letter:
March 13, 1942 [city]
Your Excellency!
Leaving the place of our many months training in Frankfurt, we’re heading for the eastern front to fight the Bolsheviks.
At this important moment for us, we remember you, our dear father and guardian. Not knowing what fate awaits us there, whether we will all survive, we ask your parental blessing for us on our firm battle path and for our families left without care in our snowy, cold villages.
At the same time, not knowing whether we will be able to do this in a timely manner, we ask you, Your Excellency, to accept the sincere filial wishes of the merry feasts of Christ’s Resurrection. May the Lord grant that this joyful Easter will become the majestic long-awaited Sunday end of our long-term suffering of our long, difficult nationwide “Great Lent” and that Your Excellency will bless us all, our national family for a new, joyful life. We also thank Your Excellency for giving us a priest for spiritual care over us.
Pobiguschy Yevhen, major and kuren head; Roman Shukhevych, sotnik; others.
As previously reported, Ternopil school teachers were presented with a manual on the Uniate Exarch.
