His Beatitude Sviatoslav awarded the Order of Merit, 3rd Class

16 January, 10:15
State
His Beatitude Sviatoslav awarded the Order of Merit, 3rd Class - фото 1
On January 15, 2025, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head of the UGCC, met with Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine, at the administrative building of the Patriarchal Center of the UGCC in Kyiv. At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister, on behalf of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and the Government, presented the Head of the UGCC with the Order of Merit, 3rd class.

The order was awarded “for significant personal contribution to state building, socio-economic, educational, cultural and spiritual development of the Ukrainian state.” The aforementioned is stated in the decree of the President of Ukraine, according to the Information Department of the UGCC.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the President and the Prime Minister for the award, noting that “we do not work and serve for rewards.” “This order is a recognition of the role and place of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in state-building and service to Ukrainian society,” said the Head of the UGCC.

The awarding ceremony was followed by a conversation. His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the clear and coordinated interaction.

The Head of the UGCC also spoke about his meeting with Metropolitan Epifaniy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He noted that the meeting was held in an atmosphere of clear understanding that interfaith peace and joint interaction of churches and religious organizations is the basis of Ukraine's stability, especially during the Russian aggression.

The Prime Minister thanked the Head of the UGCC for his efforts to build partnerships between the Church and the state and between churches. He encouraged the development of this dialogue, which is important for state-building.

The parties also talked about Ukrainians who were forced to go abroad because of the war. They discussed the importance of joint efforts of the Church and the state to return our fellow citizens.

The meeting was also attended by Rostyslav Tistyk, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, and Archpriest Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Department of External Relations of the UGCC in Ukraine.