United States Ambassador noted the atmosphere of spirituality and joy during the blessing of UGCC Patriarchal Cathedral

During the meeting there was a discussion about the role of Churches in general and the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in particular regarding the development of civil society.  The Ambassador noted that he considers heads of Churches leaders of civil society.  He was interested in knowing what was the Euro-integration perspective and to what degree do the citizens of Ukraine see their future in the European community.

In reply His Beatitude Sviatoslav described the position on this issue of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO).  UGCC Head mentioned the trip of the AUCCRO delegation to Brussels in February of this year and the various meetings which took place at the highest levels.  In these, the delegation members expressed the Euro-integration desires of the Ukrainians.  His Beatitude Sviatoslav mentioned that in October of this year, there should be one more visit of the AUCCRO delegation to the EU capital.

The discussants also analyzed the status of religious freedom in Ukraine. The ambassador noted that USA carefully follows this aspect of social life.  UGCC Primate emphasized the significant role that AUCCRO plays in preserving the inter-confessional and inter-religious peace in Ukraine.

Then Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt spoke very positively about the historic event in UGCC – the Blessing of the Patriarchal Cathedral.  He related the interest of the foreign community, observers, experts, and media to this event – underlining the number of participants and the atmosphere of real spirituality.

They also discussed the future visit of the ambassador to Lviv and Ukrainian Catholic University.  

At the end, His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented the U.S. Ambassador with a copy of the newly-published bilingual (Ukrainian –English) edition of The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: First steps, Testimonies, and Rebirth.

UGCC Department of Information