Charity as a key christian value in the professional activity of ukrainian lawyers
Abstract
The period of the end of the XIXth – 30s of the XXth century in Galicia is fruitful for numerous examples of the charity of Ukrainian lawyers who, through altruistic voluntary assistance (personal/property), participation in Ukrainian public associations and professional institutions, voluntarily directed resources, property, etc., to help certain socially vulnerable groups of people, legal protection of Ukrainians, solving current social, legal, cultural-educational, socio-political problems, improving the conditions of public life, education, training of Ukrainians.
The peculiarity of the activities of Ukrainian lawyers, who joined the Society of Ukrainian-Russ Lawyers, and the Union of Ukrainian Lawyers, was that the social and legal protection of Ukrainians based on charity became the priority of the professional activity of lawyers. Lawyers actively defended the state interests of the Ukrainian lawyers, defended the rights of the Ukrainian language in courts and state institutions, etc. Legal education of the Ukrainian population became a significant aspect of activities in the field of philanthropy. An unprecedented phenomenon was the appearance of a whole cluster of Ukrainian lawyers in legal proceedings as defenders not only of Ukrainian socio-political parties and associations, but also in high-profile trials in which they defended Ukrainian youths, members of the OUN, and nationally conscious patriots.
The activity of lawyer, public figure, and writer E. Kalytovskyi, who started a movement in Galicia regarding the care of riflemen's graves, aimed at forming historical memory and national-patriotic feelings of youth is an example of Christian service. Thanks to active parliamentary and political activity, Ukrainian lawyers have significantly contributed to the socio-legal, national protection of Ukrainians. Ukrainian jurists outlined the professional profile of a lawyer. Among his competencies, in addition to professional skills, issues of legal and moral culture, Christian-ethical issues of professional activity, which considered issues of public service for the benefit of the Ukrainian people occupied a major place. In the context of the concept of «national autarky», it meant generous ascetic work for the future national, political, and economic liberation of Ukraine.
