All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (hereafter AUCCRU) was established in December 1996 at the initiative of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. The purpose of this representative interconfessional and consultative-advisory body was:

• to unite the efforts of religious and appropriate public organizations for the national and spiritual revival of Ukraine
• to coordinate interchurch dialogue in Ukraine and abroad
• to participate in the development of current and long-term forecasts on church-state relations and to draft normative acts with regard to these questions
• to be involved in charitable activities

The AUCCRU is associated with Ukraine 's National Committee on Religious Matters.

• It functions according to the principles of equality and equal rights
• It respects the internal autonomy and traditions of all religious organizations acting according to the Ukrainian constitution,
• It is independent of any political parties, movements, other public formations and their central managerial bodies

The AUCCRU does not interfere in the internal affairs of religious and public organizations.

• It is governed in its activity by the Constitution of Ukraine,
• the law of Ukraine “on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations,” and
• other acts of legislation and international agreements of Ukraine , which concern religious organizations
• The AUCCRU's main objectives:
• Discussion of current questions of religious life and preparation of proposals for the improvement of the current law in force regarding freedom of conscience and religious organizations
• Consolidation of efforts of religious organizations in charitable activities
• Promotion of interconfessional understanding and agreement
• Encouraging the participation of religious organizations in the spiritual revival of Ukraine and strengthening the humanistic principles of our society
• Organizing and holding conferences, seminars, meetings, and so on, regarding spiritual matters, the application and observance of the laws of freedom of conscience and religious organizations
• Promotion of well-rounded coverage of religious life in Ukraine by the media

To ensure the fulfillment of its objectives, the AUCCRU:

• Is involved in local and central state bodies, as well as managerial bodies of public and religious organizations, and puts forward appropriate proposals
• Receives information on questions considered by the council from government bodies of all levels in accordance with established procedure
• Applies to governing bodies of public and religious organizations for necessary information
• Engages religious experts, lawyers, and other specialists on a voluntary basis in matters considered by the council
• Prepares public statements
• Uses theoretical developments of respective religious, public or state institutions, other materials of informative, consultative or recommendatory character to prepare questions considered by the council
• Establishes on a voluntary basis working groups on current lines of activity (spiritual revival, moral upbringing, expertise-consultative work, charity, agreement between churches, publishing activity and relations with media, and so on)

The AUCCRU incorporates on a voluntary basis leaders (authorized representatives) of religious centers – governing bodies of religious associations (confessions) acting in Ukraine and whose statutes are registered according to established procedure.

Religious associations (confessions) are admitted to the council on the basis of their applications, which are considered by the council members during council meetings.

Religious associations (confessions) can freely leave the AUCCRU.

The main form of work is meetings held when necessary but not less than once a quarter. Representatives of religious centers which are not members of the council and representatives of appropriate state bodies or public organizations can be invited to meetings, without the right to vote.

Members preside at the meetings by turns. A meeting is considered authorized if all members of the council are notified thereof and more than half of the members are present.

The AUCCRU passes resolutions of a recommendatory character. Resolutions are considered passed if the decision is approved by all the leaders (authorized representatives) of the religious organizations who are members of the council, by consensus.

List of members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations

Tamin Achmed Mohammed Mutakh, mufti of the Spiritual Direction of the Muslims of Ukraine
Victor Bondarenko, head of Ukraine's National Committee on Religious Matters
Volodymyr (Sabodan), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine
Viacheslav Horpynchuk, bishop of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church
Anatolii Hlukhovskyi, president of the Ukrainian Bible Society
Vasyl Horkai, bishop, head of the Consistory of the Sub-Carpathian Reformed Church
Emirali Ablaiev, mufti of the Spiritual Direction of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Hryhorii Komendant, president of the All-Ukraine Union of the Association of Evangelical Baptists
Volodymyr Krupsky, president of the Ukrainian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Volodymyr Lisnyi, president of the Synod of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine
Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, patriarch
Markian Trofimjak, vicar general of the Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops in Ukraine, bishop of the Lutsk diocese of the RCC
Mefodii, head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, metropolitan of Ternopil and Podillia
Suleiman Mukhamedzianov, head of the Spiritual Center of Muslims of Ukraine, mufti
Gregory Buniatian, head of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, bishop
Mykhailo Panochko, head of the All-Ukraine Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith-Pentecostals
Vasyl Raichynets, senior presbyter of the Union of Free Churches of Evangelical Christians of Ukraine
Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyivan Patriarchate, patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine
Yaakov Dov Bleich, chief rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, of the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine