Dumenko and Blinken discuss how to help communities get from UOC to OCU

US Secretary of State with Epiphany at the Cathedral of the OCU. Photo: pomisna.info

On May 6, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a two-day official visit to Ukraine, visited the St. Michael Cathedral of the OCU in Kyiv, where he spoke with Epiphany Dumenko.

According to the press service of the OCU, “given the short and rich program of Mr. Blinken’s visit, special attention during this short but meaningful meeting was devoted to the issue of the formation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the importance of removing artificial obstacles by the communities' free determination of their religious identity, based on the principles of freedom of conscience."

Epiphany thanked the American side in the person of the US Secretary of State for the firm support of Ukraine in countering external challenges and "in matters of protecting freedom of conscience in the territories occupied by Russia", emphasized "the importance of the outstanding US efforts in consolidating international support for Ukraine" and discussed further bilateral contacts with the head of the US State Department .

Note that the official program of Blinken's visit to Kyiv does not provide for meetings with representatives of other religious organizations in Ukraine, except for the OCU.

Earlier, the former special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, discussed with Dumenko the interfaith situation in the country.

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