On August 23, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. The Council has existed and cooperated for 25 years for the sake of peace and mutual understanding. The head of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, Metropolitan Onufriy, whose faithful sought to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew, did not attend the meeting.
This was reported by the press service of the OCU.
Head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy, told Patriarch Bartholomew that after years of coexistence of Christians of different denominations, Muslims, and Jews, as well as long-term anti-religious persecution, a unique interreligious atmosphere has developed in Ukraine. Thanks to this historical experience, representatives of different religious communities are able to cooperate based on mutual respect and equal rights, overcoming contradictions and finding consensus despite differences.
“Leaving for other forms of dialogue the issues where we have different views, the members of the Council are focused on things where we have the same, common, or close position,” said Metropolitan Epifaniy.
The head of the UGCC, Archbishop Sviatoslav, thanked Patriarch Bartholomew for the visit: “You have honored our heroes, our soldiers who sacrificed their lives for an independent Ukraine. You met with Crimean Tatars, with refugees from Crimea, to feel their pain. And today we have the opportunity to tell you of the thriving religious life in Ukraine and we feel that you have come not only to the Orthodox, but to all Ukrainians, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, and religion. On behalf of the entire religious community, we welcome you to Kyiv today.”
The head of the UGCC, Archbishop Sviatoslav, welcoming Patriarch Bartholomew on behalf of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, stressed that for the UGCC, the Church of Constantinople is the mother Church. “We, as the Church born in the Baptism of St. Prince Volodymyr, thank you for the light of the Gospel of Christ, which the Mother Church gave us here in Ukraine. We gratefully build up and carry this gospel. Thank you for every opportunity to meet you, and I hope that dialogue and cooperation further develop,” said the head of the UGCC, the UGCC website reports.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presented Archbishop Sviatoslav with a signature panagia.
“For me, this is a symbolic sign that the mother Church treats its daughter with care, and we, as the daughter Church, treat the mother Church with respect. Panagia is a sign of episcopal dignity. And to receive a panagia from a patriarch is a sign of recognition of episcopal dignity not only for me, but also for the episcopate of our Church,” the head of the UGCC said.
“Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, thanks to his many years of experience in inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, is globally acclaimed as ‘the one who builds bridges,’ as no one understands the complexity, but the need for dialogical interaction and cooperation between people. He emphasized the role of the Church in resolving contradictions in society, as it is able to “use the oil of faith to soothe and heal the wounds of others, not to kindle new fires of hatred.”
“It is a sign of hope that, despite the horrors of the 20th century, the most brutal era in human history, our understanding of dialogue is becoming an increasingly important tool for building bridges and achieving reconciliation,” said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
At the end of the meeting, His All-Holiness was presented with a commemorative medal dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Council.
