UOC Primate and VR Deputy Chair discuss relations between the Church and the state

On 28 March His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Onuphry received Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Irina Gerashchenko and Advisor to the President of Ukraine Yuriy Bogutsky in his residence at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.

Irina Gerashchenko told His Beatitude about personal gratitude of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko for the UOC peace-making mission and its contribution to the release of the Ukrainian military captives.

Metropoltian Onuphry emphasized that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church sticks to the positions of peaceful settlement of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine, calls to mutual understanding, and will further facilitate the delivery of Ukrainian soldiers from captivity, as well as provide assistance for the civilians affected by hostilities.

The participants of the meeting discussed obstructions created by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in registration of charters of eparchies and other structures of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, agreed on further initiatives in the field of cooperation between the Church and the state for the benefit of the Ukrainian nation.

Apart from the Primate, present at the meeting were the UOC Chancellor Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary and Chairman of the UOC Synod’s Information and Education Department Bishop Kliment of Irpen.