Ministry of Culture establishes working group to settle interchurch conflicts

On November 26, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine held a session of the working group for the settlement of ongoing interchurch conflicts.

“The Working Group was initiated and designed to address specific problems and solve ambiguous situations that arise in the relations between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate,” states Deputy Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Andriy Yurash.

According to Deputy Minister of Culture Alexander Zhuravchak, the situations in interfaith relations that are exacerbated should be monitored at the state level.

According to the press service of the Kyiv Patriarchate, taking part in the session were, Chair of the NGO Institute for Religious Freedom Oleksander Zayets, Deputy Chair of the Department for Ethnic NationalPolicies, Religions and Ukrainians abroadunder theSecretariat  Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine YuriyReshetnikov, Chair of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Hilarion of Rivne and Ostroh, secretary of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, Archbishop Yevstratiyof Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Bishop Mykolai of Vasylkiv, Chair of the Legal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Archpriest Alexander Bakhov and MP of Ukraine Viktor Yelenskyy and Deputy Minister of Culture Alexander Zhuravchak, Deputy Director of the Department for Religions and NationalitiesAndriyYurash and other staff of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.