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imperative to build a civil society, a theme to which she returned many times throughout her stay in Lviv, saying that "if we want democracy to thrive, then we must build a civil society where democratic values live in our hearts and our minds, where people stand up for what's right, and where the rule of law, not the rule of crime and corruption, prevails." She ended her remarks as her husband had when he delivered a speech at the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv in May 1995 -- with the words "Slava Ukraini". Later, Ukrainian radio reports would praise the First Lady's flawless Ukrainian pronunciation of these words. To the sounds of enthusiastic applause, Mrs. Clinton surprised those who came to see her by "working the ropeline" -- that is, coming down from the stage, wading into the crowd to shake hands and exchange greetings with the people. Still under the influence of the powerful words of support and friendship which Mrs. Clinton had just delivered, those who were lucky enough to be in the front rows reached out to shake her hand, to tough her face... some thrust small gifts, an embroidered "rushnyk" into her hands; others broke into a spontaneous rendition of "Mnohaya lita". The First Lady then returned to the Dnister Hotel where she was rejoined by Mrs. Kuchma who hosted a lunch for her US counterpart and the US delegation. While the guests were arriving, the two First Ladies had a chance to get to know each other during a tete-a- tete in the hotel's "White Room", then proceeded to the dining room which had been decorated especially for this festive lunch with works of artists from the Lviv region, courtesy of the newly opened Lviv Palace of Contemporary Art. During lunch, Mrs. Clinton had the opportunity to chat with Mayor Kuybida and with Governor Hladiy. Mrs. Clinton seemed especially taken with Mrs. Stanyk. As mothers, lawyers and women who are very active in the political life of their respective countries, the two seemed to find much in common. Mrs. Stanyk, a tall, elegant woman with perfect command of English, was quite impressive. History, art and religion, not politics, were the themes of Mrs. Clinton's afternoon program. First she visited the National Museum of Lviv on Prospekt Svobody where the director, Vasyl Otkhovych, escorted her and Mrs. Kuchma to the second floor and the halls containing displays of icons and rare manuscripts. The First Lady's party listened attentively as the director spoke about icons and from the 14th century which had miraculously survived the many centuries of Ukraine's turbulent history. The first ladies also visited the museum's Icon Restoration Center where they tried their hands at cleaning a portion of an icon which is part of a large church iconostasis from the 17th century. Donning white lab coats, the two First Ladies worked intently with cotton swabs, cleaning off a tiny section of an icon under powerful magnifying glasses under the guidance of the Icon Restoration Center, Myroslav Otkhovych (coincidentally, the brother of the director of the National Museum). The final stop of the day for Mrs. Clinton1 was a tour of St. George's Cathedral, a church which has a prominent place in the memories of countless Ukrainian-Americans who were forced to flee their Western Ukrainian homeland during WWII. Again accompanied by Mrs. Kuchma, the First Lady of the United States was greeted by the acting head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Lubomyr Husar, who welcomed the ladies to the cathedral. Dr. Boris Gudziak, Vice Rector of the Lviv Theological Academy, guided the tour through the cathedral, conveying to the members of the group that they were entering God's home, a sacred and special place. With admirable brevity and economy of words, Dr. Gudziak gave the First Ladies an overview of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church - its historical beginnings, its troubled times during the Soviet era when it went underground, and its rebirth following the breakup of the Soviet Union. The First Ladies were taken to the ciypt where three giants of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are buried: Metropolitan A. Shep- tytsky, Patriarch Y. Slipyj and Bishop V. Stemiuk. During her visit to the cathedral, Mrs. Clinton had the opportunity to meet three priests who had been imprisoned for their beliefs and who described their experiences working for the clandestine church. A Basilian nun presented both First Ladies with embroidered blouses. At St. George's, the two First Ladies also met a group of mentally and physically handicapped children from the movement "Faith and Light" and the rehabilitation center "Dzerelo". They were led in song by the group's founder, a young Ukrainian-Canadian named Zenia Kushpeta. With a never ending smile and infectious enthusiasm, Ms. Kushpeta told Mrs. Clinton how she had moved to Ukraine to work with that sector of society which had been shamelessly neglected in the Soviet Union -- adults and children with disabilities, those who cannot help themselves. Indeed, it was not only at St. George's Cathedral that the First Lady saw North Americans of Ukrainian descent working in their ancestral
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