Heads of Confessions of Ukraine Call Authorities to Constructive Dialogue

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) held a regular session on 4 November in the town of Vorzel of Kyiv Region. The meeting of the heads of confessions of Ukraine was held under the chairmanship of Bishop Markian Trofymiak of the Roman Catholic Church.

Representatives of the churches and religious organizations of Ukraine expressed their joint position that such an important decision as revising the law on the freedom of conscience should not be made hastily and in the current conditions of transformation of the political system. The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches called the authorities not to change hastily the current law which in the last 20 years has ensured a high level of religious freedom in Ukraine.

The participants of the session stressed that only on condition of a permanent dialogue with representatives of the confessions will the authorities at various levels be able to understand the value of religious freedom and importance of the social ministry of believers for the society. The spiritual leaders expressed hope of continuation of the constructive dialogue of Ukraine's President with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations for the sake of development of more effective state-church relations.

In the end of the session, according to the regulation on AUCCRO, the heads of confessions passed a decision to vest the powers of the chairman of the council in the Senior Presbyter of the Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Ukraine, Vasyl Raichynets.