Polish ambassador meets with Ukrainian religious figures
The meeting was held on January 28, 2021, at the invitation of the Polish Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Bartosz Cichocki, the Institute for Religious Freedom reports.
The participants of the meeting drew attention to the state of religious freedom in Ukraine, primarily in the Russian-occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They discussed possible additional measures of international influence to improve the situation of believers, many of whom are experiencing persecution by the Russian occupation authorities.
The Polish ambassador expressed support for the initiatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations aimed at strengthening the family as an important public institution and establishing high moral foundations in Ukraine, including in the educational process. He also welcomed the efforts of religious communities in educating Ukrainian families against the pernicious culture of violence.
During the meeting, issues of further democratic development of Ukraine were also considered, in particular through ensuring independent and fair judicial proceedings, the rule of law and the inevitability of punishment for violators of the law, and strengthening democratic institutions.
Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki assured the audience that the religious communities of Ukraine can count on Poland's support in the issues raised during the meeting.
The meeting was attended by the chairman of the AUCCRO, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Metropolitan Epifaniy, senior bishop of the Ukrainian Church of evangelical Christians Mykhailo Panochko, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine Vitaly Krivitsky, president of the Association of Jewish religious organizations of Ukraine Rabbi Yakiv Dov Bleich, head of the spiritual administration of Muslims of Ukraine Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn OCU, legal adviser to the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Gennady Bilorytsky and Chairman of the board of the Institute of religious freedom Oleksandr Zayets.
