Members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations filed a letter to President Poroshenko, in which they called him to establish justice, defend traditional values of the Ukrainian people and oppose corruption.
These issues were discussed during a meeting with the Head of State on April 23 at the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, the IRS reports. Religious leaders, to whom the President gave the opportunity to speak, raised the issue of adjusting the legislation to contribute to the spiritual and social activities of believers and chaplaincy. Members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches insisted on the need for introduction in Ukraine of an independent judiciary and the fight against corruption and called for developing greater dialogue of society and the President. Petro Poroshenko assured of his support of the draft bills referred to by church leaders and assured them that a relentless fight against corruption had been already launched. “As an integral part of civil society, AUCCRO seeks to develop constructive cooperation in partnership with the government in order that the spiritual and social ministry of believers became the most tangible and effective for the entire Ukrainian society,” states a joint letter of the Council of Churches. In their view, soldiers and defenders of Ukraine affected by the fighting in the east of the country, internally displaced persons from the Crimea and Donbas, and other needy groups require special spiritual and material support. Given the current economic situation in Ukraine, religious leaders believe the public policy should be socially justified and no excessive financial burden shall be placed on impoverished citizens against the backdrop of sometimes excessive and unnecessary costs for maintenance of the state apparatus and the privileged social security for former and present officials. The letter to the Council of Churches stresses that the implementation and strict adherence to the principles of independence and fairness in the judicial reform in Ukraine so that the judges could make legal decisions - without any political pressure or influence on them from other branches and centers of power is also of importance.
In addition, the Letter of the Council of Churches gives the list of the most pressing issues of church-state relations.