Ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko convinced Ukraine will have unified Orthodox church

Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko is convinced Ukraine will have a unified national Orthodox church. As UNIAN reports, he announced this on Sunday in Ivano-Frankivsk in his speech during a public meeting, a requiem honoring victims of Communist terror in Demyaniv Laz.

“I am convinced that we will acheive a unified national Orthodox church," said Yushchenko. "When we have a unified national Orthodox church in Ukraine, we will resolve any issues. We have to do everything possible to achieve this.”

Yushchenko pointed out that wherever there is Orthodoxy, there are nations that have their own Orthodox churches: Bulgarian, Roman, Georgian, Russian.

And he called the fact of four Orthodox churches in Ukraine as “abnormal.” “There are four Orthodox denominations in Ukraine. This is abnormal.”

According to Yushchenko, “the issue of the Ukrainian national Orthodox church is being solved not in Moscow and not even in Constantinople, but in our hearts.”

“Don’t get discouraged,” Yushchenko addressed the participants of the meeting. “Ukraine begins with you. Not with the president, prime minister or a mayor, even though it would be great if it began with them as well.”