US Ukrainian clergy, flocks show support amid Russia crisis

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO and PETER SMITH
The Associated Press

Religious leaders and members of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States are growing increasingly alarmed over the threat of a Russian invasion to Ukraine and have stepped up efforts to show solidarity with their homeland. The support ranges from special prayer services to maintaining charitable donations and staging demonstrations opposing Russia’s actions. Tensions over Ukraine represent the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. “It’s a stressor for all of us here … because of the danger that it will be a bloody mess,” says the Rev. Taras Lonchyna, pastor of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Trenton, New Jersey.