Holodomor: the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine

Between 1932 and 1933, there was a famine in the then Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine. The episode is known to history as the Holodomor – the “killing-by-hunger” in which millions of Ukrainians perished for want of sustenance, a want that was created by human agency. A little-known part of the story is the work of the Holy See to alleviate the suffering of the people in Ukraine. Fr. Athanasius McVay is a Catholic priest of the Ukrainian Rite, a Church historian, and author of the book, The Holy See and the Holodomor: Documents from the Vatican Secret Archives on the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine. He spoke with us about the volume. Listen