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ODESSA, Ukraine Exploring the grand city of Odessa, created in 1794 by Catherine the Great, I discovered many marvels. Orthodox churches, beautifully restored, thriving with activity. A happy, youthful populous. Streets lined with trees brought by Duke de Richelieu from around the world American sycamores, magnolias, and poplars among them because he saw horticulture as a way to show Odessas cosmopolitan purpose.

And I found a quiet corner of Catholic history that deserves recounting

Wonderous was a summer Sunday morning when, surrounded by believers after Mass, I was led to the basement at St. Peters Catholic Church in Odessa to see a one-room museum dedicated to parish history.

We kept the fire burning, explained Zosia Zainczkovska, a lifelong parishioner at St. Peters. It was the only Latin/Roman rite Catholic Church allowed to continue functioning in southern Ukraine during the Communist period, under the guidance of one man, Salesian Father Tadeusz Hoppe, who ministered to the citys faithful from 1958 until 1991.

The open status of St. Peters was especially remarkable, considering that the nearby Catholic Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral was converted into a gymnasium and the monumental Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral was bombed.

This is where our priest lived, for 45 years. From his arrival until his death in 2003, God rest his soul, said Zainczkovska. Father Hoppe lived in the cellar because the state had expropriated the priests residence next door.

Dominating the museum is the priests big wooden desk. Prominently displayed on a wall behind the desk are two large frames each highlighting an outfit.

On the left, a black suit with a light-blue shirt, on the right a pastors full cassock: a delicate lace surplice under a burgundy cape, a stole with grapes entwined with stalks of wheat, and a biretta with a magenta pompom. Parishioners explained to me that on the street, their priest had to wear a working mans suit, the very one on the wall.

John Chin, a Salesian seminarian helping at St. Peters, showed me a chalice inscribed For the Catholics of Odessa, brought to Father Hoppe by a Vatican delegation representing Pope Paul VI. His dedication was appreciated all the way to the Holy Father, said Chin.

In a documentary on Father Hoppe, made by the Society of Don Bosco, the narrator explains how the Polish priest was harassed and spied on by Soviet operatives. He was once interrogated because he stepped a foot out on the street in his priestly clothes.

Yet he did not hide in his church. For many years he traveled hours away to a neighboring republic each first Friday to offer Mass in Chisinau, Moldova. For Easter and Christmas, he said Mass in Odessa the day before the holy day then took a night train to Kyiv to celebrate, followed by a flight to Chisinau to celebrate again, and bused or taxied back to Odessa a giant geographic triangle of religious devotion.

Guest Book and Artwork

Among the little museums riches is a guest book with entries going back decades. Father Hoppe received many visits and support from Vatican diplomats and bishops from around the world during the pontificates of John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II.

Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity celebrated Mass in Odessa 1973 together with the archbishop from New Delhi, India. (Father Hoppe enthusiastically maintained ties with other faiths in Odessa.)

Two bishops from Vietnam visited in 1986, the same year a delegation from Pax Christi USA appeared. Two years earlier, a group of religious sisters from Cuba, Chile, Mexico and Nicaragua arrived, noting, What a beautiful experience to share the Mass with the Russian people.

The visits served to encourage the St. Peters faithful according to Salesian Father Michael Wocial, a Polish-born priest serving in Ukraine, who spent over 10 years in Odessa. The Church is so much larger than one country. This ongoing communication with the Universal Church was very encouraging to Father Hoppe and the parish, even as a form of protection.

As soon as communism collapsed in 1991, Father Hoppe led the parish in demanding that the cathedral be reopened, which it was. Fellow Salesians came to help manage the expanding community.

And in August 2003, dozens of believers hand carried, through the citys streets, a giant 1850 painting of the Blessed Mother which hung in St. Peters for the artworks security. They brought the piece, a Raphael copy, back to its home above the alter at the cathedral. Father Hoppe helped lead the procession. He died three months later.

Serving an International Community

At a Sunday evening, English-language Mass at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, a youthful Ukrainian Latin rite Catholic priest celebrated Mass for a congregation with people from at least four continents. The choir was comprised mainly of students from Africa studying in local universities and the pews included tourists, diplomats, expatriates and locals. Mass is offered in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish, as well.

Odessa has always been an international city because it is a major port, explained Father Roman Krat, 40, after Mass. Before the pandemic, I was on call to offer Mass on cruise ships that docked here.

Father Roman, a diocesan priest who leads the Catholic outreach program to international students, gained impeccable English while serving in Great Britain for several years. He has also helped in German churches. His experience abroad has led him to consider it especially important for the Latin rite Catholic Church in encourage more parishioner engagement through Bible study sessions, for example.

The Latin Catholic Church in Ukraine is strongly associated with Polish worship traditions, which are wonderfully pious, said the cleric, whose brother is also a Catholic priest, now in England. What people are seeking is more personal connection through the Word, I believe.

Lively and youthful as Odessa is, with evidence of new investment despite the pandemic, there are zero signs that part of the country is at war. Or, that some 200 miles away, the Russian government controls Crimea, ever since a 2014 invasion that kicked off an unresolved international conflict.

A Jovial Bishop

Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk guides the Diocese of Odessa-Simferopol, meaning, territory that includes Crimea, territory claimed by both Ukraine and Russia since 2014.

He was selected by Pope Francis, after spending five years (2014-19) as bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine, which covers conflict zones at the Ukraine-Russia border. Bishop Szyrokoradiuk led Ukraines Caritas-Spes program for 20 years (1996-2016), so he is steeped in both war and the Churchs humanitarian response.

Consecrated bishop in Rome by Pope John Paul II in 1995, he first met the Polish pope in 1989 when Bishop Szyrokoradiuk was a clandestine Franciscan. (He had taken vows secretly the year before.)

How are the 12 Latin rite Catholic priests serving 12 parishes in Crimea, including several Dominicans? Most are Ukrainian. If they dont touch politics, they can work normally, the bishop explained.

Auxiliary Bishop Jacek Pyl lives in Crimea and the bishop is constantly in touch with him.

He is feeling good there, said Bishop Szyrokoradiuk. He might not like the political situation, but he has a missionary character, so he is finding his way.

Bishop Pyl was already serving on the peninsula when the Russians took over.

Bishop Szyrokoradiuk said that the Polish-born Bishop Pyl learned Russian with the intention of eventually serving there. So, it is providential he is working in Russia now, exclaimed the prelate.

Paradoxical Gift

Bishop Szyrokoradiuk shared a paradoxical story contrasting relations with Ukrainian authorities, who used to control Crimea, and the current Russian officials.

For close to 25 years, from 1991-2014, Latin rite Catholics requested from Ukrainian local officials in Crimea that a church be returned. During Soviet communism, it was used as a movie theater, so it was in poor condition, but it retained its sacred power for local people. The Ukrainians refused to yield the building.

When the Church petitioned the Russian government for the dilapidated building they got it back immediately.

I think it took one day, remembered Bishop Szyrokoradiuk. But they returned a property in terrible condition.

Yet, recounted the bishop, Mass is being celebrated in a small chapel that has been opened in the sacred space and the people are very glad they can visit now.

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Dispatch From Odessa: Mystery of the Only Latin Catholic Church Open in Southern Ukraine Under Communism - National Catholic Register

Ukraine makes efforts to establish permanent coordination mechanisms for the Crimea Platform and calls on the most active partners to take the lead in each of its key areas.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in a comment to Ukrinform, the summit is just a start of great activity. According to him, by launching the Crimea Platform, Ukraine becomes an ideological leader and coordinator of international efforts to liberate Crimea.

"We are working to establish permanent coordination mechanisms for the Platform in all key areas: non-recognition policy, sanctions, security, human rights, environmental and economic issues related to the Russian occupation. We call on the most active partners to take the lead in each of these key areas," Kuleba said.

He added that the Crimea Platform did not seek to replace the huge work on Crimea within the UN or the efforts already being made by the EU, NATO, the United States, and other partners.

"It will supplement, systematize and strengthen them," the minister stressed.

The Crimea Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to step up the efficiency of international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal: to de-occupy Crimea and restore Ukraines sovereignty over the peninsula.

The Platform is to operate at several levels: heads of state and government, foreign ministers, inter-parliamentary cooperation, expert network.

The activity of the Crimea Platform will be officially launched at the inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2021.

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FM Kuleba: Ukraine invites partners to take lead in key areas of Crimea Platform - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Over the past day, August 10, Russian-controlled armed groups 16 times opened fire on the Ukrainian Army positions.

Thats according to the Joint Forces Operation HQ press center, Ukrinform reports.

"Over the past 24 hours, on August 10, sixteen ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation zone," the statement said.

Near Vodiane, in the Sea of Azov littoral, the invaders fired three times at the positions of our defenders, employing 122mm artillery systems, 82mm mortars, and small arms.

Also, Russian mercenaries shelled the settlement of Vodiane from 122mm artillery and 82mm mortars, destroying private households. Fortunately, the attack brought no civilian casualties.

The enemy was also firing toward Nevelske, using heavy automatic grenade launchers, large-calibe machine guns, and small arms.

Near Maryinka, Russian mercenaries fired at Ukrainian positions with anti-tank missiles.

Near New York, the enemy fired twice using 122mm artillery systems and 120caliber mortars.

In the area of Katerynivka, Russian invaders twice fired at Ukrainian positions employing heavy automatic grenade launchers and MANPADs, as well as large-caliber machine guns and small arms.

Toward Pisky, the enemy twice used easel and anti-tank grenade launchers.

Near Novooleksandrivka, Russian-controlled armed groups twice fired on the positions of Ukrainian defenders with heavy automatic grenade launchers and MANPADs, as well as large-caliber machine guns and small arms.

Outside Luhanske, the enemy fired easel anti-tank grenades.

Not far from Novoluhanske, Ukrainian soldiers came under fire of automatic easel grenade launchers.

As a result of enemy shelling, three servicemen sustained shrapnel wounds.

One of the wounded soldiers later died at the hospital. Two other soldiers are undergoing treatment at a medical facility, remaining in satisfactory condition.

As of 7:00 Kyiv time on August 11, a single ceasefire violation has been reported since midnight.

Near Novomyzailivka, the invaders employed 122mm artillery systems.

The attack brought no combat losses.

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Escalation in Donbas as Ukraine reports 1 KIA, 2 WIAs amid 16 enemy attacks - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

The post-Soviet state has increased its climate ambition but campaigners say it could do more to insulate draughty housing and promote clean energy

Ukraine plans to reduce its emissions slightly while growing its economy, reducing poverty and fighting a war with Russia, according to its latest climate plan.

The country, one of the poorest in Europe, aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from 62% below 1990 levels in 2019 to 65% below 1990 levels in 2030.

Environment and natural resources minister Roman Abramovsky told Climate Home News through a translatorthe target was only possible with huge decarbonisation based on unit of GDP. The governments recent national economic growth strategy projects annual economic growth of up to 7% a year and industrial development.

It is the first ever real ambition from Ukraine, according to government adviser Oleksei Riabchyn, who has represented his country at several UN climate negotiations.

As with many ex-Soviet countries, a 1990 baseline makes Ukraines emissions reductions look impressive. But they largely result from the economic collapse which followed the Soviet Unions disintegration, rather than climate policies.

Ukraines previous nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, submitted in 2016, had a 2030 target of just 40% below 1990 levels. This would have allowed a large rise in emissions from today and was judged critically insufficient by Climate Action Tracker, aligning with more than 4C of global warming, not the well below 2C goal of the Paris Agreement.

Under all approaches consistent with limiting warming below 2C, [Ukraines] emissions should be steadily decreasing, said Climate Action Tracker.

Acknowledging the criticism, Abramovsky said we are almost sure that, hopefully, the current NDC will be much closer to the 2C scenario.

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Anna Ackermann, a campaigner from Kiev-based Eco Action said the target was much better than the previous one but of course its also not over-ambitious To keep the world at 1.5C, the emissions should be halved by 2030 globally and every country has to contribute. So the 2% reduction promised by Ukraine does not correspond to this global need.

She added: Taking into consideration the existing huge potential to decrease emissions by introducing energy efficiency measures and developing further energy generation from renewables, the 2030 target is, from my perspective, quite easily achievable. Ukraine has lots of big, draughty old blocks of flats.

Abramovsky said the target was quite ambitious compared to other developed countries on the basis of emissions intensity.

Between 2018 and 2030, Japan plans to reduce emissions by 39%, the EU by 41%, UK by 46% and US by 47%. But their economic growth forecasts are all far lower than Ukraines.

Another aspect is that we have to achieve all that in the context of Russian aggression, Abramovsky said, we have to spend unfortunately a lot of state resources to protect our territory and in peaceful conditions these resources could go for energy efficiency and other social problems in Ukraine.

A Russian occupation of parts of Eastern Ukraine makes it difficult to determine the countrys total emissions levels and impossible for Kiev to implement climate policies in regions it does not control.

When the territories come back, we have to review and reassess the action plans and greenhouse gas emissions for those territories. Of course, theres a question in what kind of condition they will come back and what will have to be done in terms of redevelopment, reconstruction and revitalisation. We dont see any other way of development of these territories other than new technologies, he said.

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Ukraines emissions reduction target is conditional on access to 102bn ($120bn) of finance. Abramovsky said the government was reforming investors rights and integrity to encourage private investment, including in green projects. It will bid for funding from the EU, US, World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As its classified by the UN as a developed country, it is not eligible for funding from the Green Climate Fund.

The climate plan is also conditional on stable and predictable trade policy and the absence of restrictions and barriers from developed countries, a coded reference to the EUs proposed carbon tariff on imports of certain products.

Abramovsky said: Such kind of external mechanism would create more difficult conditions for modernisation and it would complicate achievement of the goals.

Ukraine is trying to negotiate special treatment with the EU, as a member of the energy community. Ukraine is one of the biggest exporters of cement, steel and electricity to the EU and these commodities are all covered by the carbon border tax.

On energy, Abramovsky said Ukraine plans to ramp up renewable energy, keep nuclear generation at more than 50% while gradually phasing out coal in a way that doesnt devastate mining communities.

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Ukraine aims to grow economy without increasing carbon emissions - Climate Home

The Prosecutor General's Office will soon file yet another communication on the events in Crimea to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova made a corresponding statement at the first meeting of the International Council of Experts on Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office informs.

The Councils members are: Ivan Lishchyna, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Government Agent before the European Court of Human Rights; Yevheniy Yenin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Oksana Senatorova, Associate Professor of International Law at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and Director of the Center for International Humanitarian Law and Transitional Justice; Tymur Korotky, Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law; Mykola Hnatovsky, First Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law; Roman Martynovsky, founder of the Regional Center for Human Rights; Yuri Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.net; Olha Reshetylova, journalist and coordinator of the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

The main purpose of the International Council of Experts is to involve foreign and international experts, national experts on international humanitarian and international criminal law, and representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations to study the experience of investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity and developing national standards in this area.

"This international expert platform will allow us drafting a roadmap for the investigation of crimes committed during the armed conflict in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, as well as prosecuting those involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity in all jurisdictions. We work in many vectors at the same time: we continue to investigate and submit cases to national courts, we also actively cooperate with the International Criminal Court, we cooperate with colleagues from other countries who prosecute their citizens for illegal participation in hostilities in Donbas. Therefore, this new platform will ensure inter-institutional coordination and single information field for all stakeholders," Venediktova said.

She noted that the Prosecutor General's Office would soon file yet another communication on the events in Crimea to the International Criminal Court.

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Ukraine to file another communication on events in Crimea to ICC - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news