The Secretariat of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations analyze results from the latest state-confession dialogue

On September 3, 2009, the Secretariat of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (ACCARO) held a meeting at the main synagogue of the city of Kyiv. The meeting of heads and representatives of confessions was facilitated by Head Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine and from the Association of Judaic Religious Organizations of Ukraine, Jacob Dov Bleikh. After settling administrative questions for organizing the meetings of heads of confessions, the Secretariat of Council discussed government initiatives and other important matters, as reported by the Institute of Religious Freedom. Participants of the meeting positively responded to the government’s proposal to decrease tariffs on natural gas for religious organizations to the same level offered to the general population. The members of the Secretariat of ACCARO analyzed the Cabinet of Ministers latest round of decisions, which came as a result of the dialogue between Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, and representatives of All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations during their last meeting in July of this year. Special attention was paid to governmental initiatives and the process of working on other legislation of relevance to the religious community. During the meeting, participants also heard a report from the head of the National Expert Commission of Ukraine for the Defense of Public Morality, Vasyl’ Kostytskyj, summing up the results of his departments’ work throughout the year. In particular, the potential to achieve the goals set out in the Memorandum on cooperation between All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations and the National commission, signed in December 2008, was discussed as well as the ways to strengthen cooperation in a practical manner. The Secretariat of ACCARO also discussed the upcoming final meeting of the of organization, which will take place in the middle of October of this year in a non-standard format, as compared to previous meetings. The participants of the meeting agreed about the necessity of preparing a few addresses to the public and organs of authority on various topics of pressing concern about public life, which will be presented on behalf of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. Participants in the meeting included heads and honored representatives of the Association of Judaic Religious Organizations of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyivan Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, All Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelic Christians – Baptists, Church of Christians of Evangelic Faith of Ukraine, Ukrainian Unions Conference of Church of Seventh Day Adventists, Ukrainian Christian Evangelic Church, Ukrainian Lutheran Church, Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelic Faith of Ukraine, Ukrainian Eparchy of Armenian Apostolic Church and Spiritual Organization of Muslims of Ukraine, as well as representatives of NEK for public morality questions and the public organization Institute of Religious Freedom.

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