From 17 to 24 October 2019, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy and all Ukraine, will be on a visit to the United States of America. He will be conferred on the “Athenagoras Human Rights Award” in New York.
From 17 to 24 October 2019, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy and all Ukraine, will be on a visit to the United States of America. He will be conferred on the “Athenagoras Human Rights Award” in New York.
The “Athenagoras Human Rights Award” was founded in 1986 by the National Council of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America, and is awarded to a person or organization that " through their actions, intentions and dedication consistently demonstrates concern for the fundamental rights and freedoms of religion for all people." The prize winners are determined by a Committee of clergy and laity. The list of those who have already had the honor of being awarded the Athenagoras Human Rights Award" includes the 39th us President Jimmy Carter, the 41st us President George Bush and his wife Barbara Bush, Nobel peace prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and others.
A reception in honor of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifanity of Kyiv and all Ukraine, and an awards ceremony will be held in New York on October 19.
"Soon I plan to visit the United States not only to participate in the festive event, I also intend to hold fruitful meetings in New York and Washington with the clergy, public figures, representatives of international organizations and the Ukrainian Diaspora, as well as with representatives of state institutions of America, which has been a reliable ally of Ukraine. In their course, we will discuss modern religious and secular challenges for Ukraine, present the achievements and changes that have occurred in recent years, in particular in the life of our Church. Of course, along with a number of positive evolutionary changes, we also face new challenges and dangers, but we see them and are ready to accept and overcome – we will also talk about this during meetings in the United States," Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote on his Facebook page.
During his visit to the United States, the Primate will be accompanied by a delegation consisting of Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations and Andriy Matsola, Chairman of the Board of Patrons of the Metropolitan Fund of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The visit will also include a presentation of the “Metropolitan Fund of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.