Members of the Permanent Synod led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, made a working visit to the state Secretariat of the United States of America on December 9, 2019, where they held meetings with several representatives of this important state institution. The press service of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC has reported about this.
Members of the Permanent Synod led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, made a working visit to the state Secretariat of the United States of America on December 9, 2019, where they held meetings with several representatives of this important state institution. The press service of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC has reported about this.
The first to receive the delegation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
The parties discussed the current internal political situation in Ukraine and the role of Churches and religious organizations in it. During the conversation, which evolved in a friendly atmosphere, representatives of the state Department and the UGCC exchanged views on a number of important issues of Church and public-political life in Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in settlements, in particular in the United States of America.
In memory of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav handed over to Mr.Kent an illustrated edition "Persecuted for Truth”, dedicated to the catacomb period of the UGCC in the mother lands during the rule of the Communist regime.
In addition, the head of the UGCC, his Beatitude Sviatoslav, together with members of the Permanent Synod and The Secretary of the Synod, Bishop Bogdan Dzyurakh, visited the office of the United States Ambassador for international religious freedom at the us state Secretariat, where he met with the head of the institution Mr Samuel Brownback, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and his personnel.
During the meeting, the issues of state-church relations and religious freedom in the modern world as a whole and in the context of the current socio-political situation in Ukraine were raised.
Reference
George P. Kent is an American diplomat and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (since September 4, 2018).
He studied Russian history and literature at Harvard University (1989), graduated from the Johns Hopkins school of advanced international studies (1992), and received a master's degree from the National Defense University (2012).
He has been in the diplomatic service since 1992. He worked in Warsaw (Poland), Kyiv, Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Bangkok (Thailand).
Mr Kent was special assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
From 2012 to 2014, he was Director of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL/EA).
From 2014 to 2015, he was senior anti-corruption coordinator at the European Bureau of the State Department.
From 2015 to 2018 he was Deputy Head of the U.S. Mission in Ukraine; from 2004 to 2007 - Deputy Head of the political Department of the Embassy.
He is married and has three children. He is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, Thai languages. Speaks Polish, German, Italian.
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback; born September 12, 1956, Garnett, Kansas) — American politician of the Republican party. In 2007, he ran for President of the United States, but a few months later was forced to stop campaigning due to lack of funding. Elected Governor of Kansas in 2010, and sworn in on January 10, 2011. United States Ambassador for international religious freedom since 2018.
He grew up on his family's farm near Parker, Kansas. He graduated from Prairie View High School, The University of Kansas in Manhattan (1979), received a law degree from the University of Kansas in Lawrence (1982).
Brownback was an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas, before becoming Kansas Secretary of agriculture (1986-1993). Employee of the Office of the U.S. trade representative (1990-1991). Elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, he was not a candidate for re-election in 1996. Member of the U.S. Senate in a November 1996 by-election to replace Bob Dole. He served in the Senate until 2011.
It should be added that on Monday, December 9, 2019, the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church began its 10th (61st) session with the Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the Seminary of St. Josaphat of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church under the leadership of His Beatitude Sviatoslav arrived in Washington as the official residence of the Church and public life of the Ukrainian community in the United States of America. At their first working meeting, the Synodal fathers reviewed the state of implementation of the 2019 decisions of the Synod of Bishops concerning unity and communion.
Therefore, the Permanent Synod began preparations for the upcoming Synod of bishops of the UGCC, which will be held in Lviv in early September 2020.