The slogan "We are all equal, but everyone is different", which we chose to outline the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, is the key to solving difficult tasks and serving for the common good. This was stated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, head of the UGCC and chairman of the AUCCRO, in his welcoming speech on the occasion of the opening of the scientific and practical conference on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the AUCCRO, which is being held in Kyiv today.
Having congratulated the audience on the 25th anniversary of the AUCCRO, the head of the UGCC explained the purpose of holding a scientific conference on this occasion. Patriarch Sviatoslav's words were distributed by the UGCC Information Department.
"The purpose of today's conference is to comprehensively and intellectually understand what the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is. On the one hand, the AUCCRO is a public organization, and on the other hand, religious communities are an integral part of civil society," the chairman of the AUCCRO stressed.
Noting that the establishment of the Council of Churches in Ukraine was a blessing for the churches and faiths themselves, the head of the UGCC spoke about various areas of its activities. As he explained, the AUCCRO is a community that creates a space for communication between churches, confessions and religions in Ukraine, which appeals to society and which is the voice of the Ukrainian people before the Ukrainian authorities and at the international level.
"Over the past twenty-five years, we have developed social teaching in Ukraine at the Interreligious and interfaith level, on which it is possible to build a democratic society on the Ukrainian model. There is no such advice anywhere else in the world. Everyone is surprised what we can have in common, but our unanimity has a positive impact on the Ukrainian and international levels," His Beatitude Sviatoslav said.
In addition, the head of the UGCC noted the role of the AUCCRO as a subject of state-church relations. "At the most critical moments, during the revolution of dignity, the Council of churches became the voice of the people before statesmen. We need to think about everything and think about it because it turned out that we can do much more than we did before. We want to serve the Ukrainian people together, " he said.
In the introductory part of the conference, the doctor of physical and Mathematical Sciences, acting rector and first vice-rector of the T. V. KNU also addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. Shevchenko, Professor Volodymyr Ilchenko.
He congratulated the council members on their 25th anniversary and drew attention to the fact that sociological studies in Ukraine record a large percentage of trust in the Church as an institution. This, according to him, shows the significant role of the Church in the development of society.
"The established dialogue and cooperation with state authorities and charitable activities show that church organizations are involved in the development of civil society in Ukraine on an equal basis with others. We wish you fruitful work, balanced decisions for the benefit of Ukraine and invite you to further creative communication," said Professor Volodymyr Ilchenko.
The program of the scientific conference on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the AUCCRO is available here.
As reported, the scientific and practical conference "the role and mission of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations in the formation of civil society and Ukrainian statehood" is attended by Kravchuk Leonid Makarovich, Bondarenko Viktor Dmytrovych, Kostytsky Vasily Vasyliovych, Izhevska Tetiana Ivanivna, Marynovych Myroslav Frankovych and others.