On August 3, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received in his residence the Acting General Secretary of the World Council of Churches Archpriest Ioan Sauca, who was accompanied by the Deputy General Secretary Professor Odair Pedroso Mateus and the representative of the WRC’s communication department Ivars Kupcis).
The meeting was also attended by the deputy head of the External Church Relations Department, Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, and the secretary of the Synodal Commission on Inter-Christian Relations of the OCU, Archpriest Rostyslav Vorobiy, reports the OCU press service.
The parties discussed the inter-confessional situation against the background of ongoing full-scale Russian aggression, process of conscious and free transition of communities to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, support for Ukraine on the part of the world community, and other issues of common interest.
“The transition of parishes is a natural phenomenon, we do not create it artificially, and despite various efforts, this process cannot be stopped. Often, I myself only learn from media reports that this or that parish has decided to join our Church. We are open to dialogue and we want to live in peace with everyone, so we are interested in the voluntary and peaceful implementation of this process,” His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy noted.
In April this year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine submitted an application for membership in the World Council of Churches. Therefore, on June 18, a corresponding official invitation was received regarding the participation of OCU representatives in the General Assembly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which will take place in early September.
An international network of scientists – theologians, religious scholars, historians, sociologists of religion – of various faiths or without religious affiliation – called on the World Council of Churches to suspend membership of the Russian Orthodox Church in this organization until it, with the voice of its highest authority, unequivocally condemns the war against Ukraine.
