The Head of the UGCC has discussed with the US Ambassador to Ukraine the socio-political and religious situation in our country.
Saturday, 26 January 2019, 21:22 His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, held a working meeting with the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine, Ms. Mari Yovanovich, during which the parties discussed the situation in the socio-political and religious life of Ukraine. The meeting was held at the initiative of Ambassador Mari Yovanovich.-
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First of all, Ms. Yovanovich asked about the state of interreligious and ecumenical dialogue in Ukraine and the position of the UGCC. For his part, the Primate said that, in accordance with the Ecumenical Concept of the UGCC, the Church tries to be open and seek dialogue between all Churches and religious organizations in our country.
"Obviously, we get different answers, but we try to cooperate with everyone. And with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Moscow Patriarchate, and the Protestant Churches, which are members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, because we believe that the preservation of religious peace in Ukraine is a question of the common good of our state and, in particular, in this context it is an important element of the security of our state," noted His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The Head of the UGCC told the US representative about contacts with Metropolitan Epifanij, in particular that the Greek Catholics are trying to be open and work together for the good of Ukraine, but do not interfere with internal Orthodox processes or other matters concerning their life. That is, the UGCC is trying to cultivate good relations with all.
The parties also discussed the role of the Church in society, in particular in the context of the upcoming elections.
The Head of the Church told Ms. Yovanovich that a year ago, the UGCC proclaimed a year of prayers for fair and just elections in Ukraine. The clergy sent a separate message to the Ukrainian people and the faithful of the UGCC, in which they warned of the various dangers that weighing on our society in our time. In particular, he spoke about the danger of cheap populism and the use of violence as an instrument of political struggle. Also, the parties were unanimous about the need to adopt a new electoral law so that Ukrainians would have more confidence in the state institutions to which they will elect new representatives. After all, we see that people's confidence in state institutions is not high today.
This year, according to the Head of the UGCC, the Church will continue to implement its principles in life. This refers to the Church's non-interference in the political process, in particular the prohibition on clerics to participate in pre-election campaigning for or against a certain candidate. "But on the other hand, we encourage our laity, honest Christians to be active in political life, to protect the Christian values of social and family life, and defend the foundations of an independent free European type of Ukrainian state," emphasized the Head of the UGCC.
In the end, the ambassador asked about the pastoral plans of the UGCC for this year. His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that the UGCC will honor the figure of the blessed Omelyan Kovch this year, which is a symbol of the identity of the UGCC. "This is a priest, a patriot of the Ukrainian people, his national liberation struggle ... But because he saved the representatives of the Jewish people during the Holocaust, he was killed by the Nazis in a concentration camp. Consequently, this figure itself destroys all the myths that Russian propaganda tries to direct against our Church. And so, according to our convictions, he is the true face of a pastor. Therefore, our Church proclaimed Father Omelian as patron of the priests of our Church," said the Primate.
This year, his name will be honored at the state level, along with such figures as Blessed Klymentij Sheptytsky, blessed Joshaphata Gordashevska ... "By honoring such figures, we want to show how vital they are as examples of authentic life and behavior that are needed today," said the spiritual leader of Ukrainians.
The ambassador thanked the UGCC for taking a very active but balanced participation in public life. She also thanked for the fact that the UGCC is a promoter of ecumenism and its openness demonstrates true inter-church and inter-religious cooperation models. In addition, she thanked for a clear social and Christian stance on the political processes in Ukraine.
The Head of the UGCC thanked Mari Yovanovich for the fact that she is following all the processes taking place in Ukraine. He also expressed gratitude for supporting true democracy and freedom of conscience in Ukraine today.
Department of Information of the UGCC
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