On October 29, the Head of the UGCC held a press conference for the French media at the UGCC Cathedral in Paris. His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized the problem of the “militarization of religion” by the aggressor country as a serious challenge for all of Christianity in the modern world.
According to the Information Department of the UGCC, on the second day of his official visit to France, His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with representatives of the French media. Answering journalists' questions about the causes of the war in Ukraine, he emphasized the “Russian world” ideology, which “was born in the environment of the Moscow Patriarchate and has a genocidal character in relation to the Ukrainian people”.
Commenting on the recently adopted law 8371, the Head of the UGCC said: “While we are convinced that all religions should be equal before the state, the state is obliged to respond appropriately to protect its citizens if a particular religion or denomination poses a threat to national security.”
As reported previously, the visit of the Head of the UGCC to France, which is aimed at strengthening support for Ukraine, will last until November 5. The program includes a speech by His Beatitude Sviatoslav at an academic conference organized by the Bernardine College, the Paris Catholic Institute and the Paris Faculty of Loyola University. A number of meetings are planned within the framework of the French Bishops' Conference, which will culminate in His Beatitude Sviatoslav's speech on November 5 at the opening of the autumn plenary assembly in Lourdes. Afterwards, he will lead the Divine Liturgy for about 120 French bishops.
During the first day of his visit, His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and President Emmanuel Macron.