P.Ts.U.
PRIMATE
DESCRIBES PERSECUTION OF CLERGY AND BELIEVERS IN DONBASS AND
CRIMEA FOR MICHAEL
POMPEO
Metropolitan
of Kiev
and all-Ukraine Epifany met with the secretary of state of the
United States of
America, Michael R. Pompeo, during his visit to Kiev on 31
January 2020. The
meeting was held on the territory of the St. Michael's Golden
Domed monastery,
the administrative center of the local Ukrainian Orthodox
Church. It was
preceded by a joint ceremony in honor of the memory of fallen
defenders of
Ukraine, the laying of flowers at the Wall of Memory.
According
to a report
on the official website of the PTsU [Orthodox Church of Ukraine]
the primate
described for the guest the establishment of the Orthodox Church
of Ukraine,
relations with society and the state, and the expansion of the
international
relations of the PTsU.
Special
attention was
given to the challenges for the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
particularly
in the territories of the Donbass and Crimea that are
temporarily occupied by
Russia. Russia, as the party responsible for conditions in the
territories it
occupies, must adhere to international standards in the matter
of freedom of
religion and religious confession, including ceasing the
persecution and
systematic restriction of the rights of clergy and parishes of
the Orthodox
Church of Ukraine.
His
Beatitude
expressed thanks to the American side for its firm and reliable
support for
Ukraine both in the context of resisting external challenges
that our country
continues to face and along the path of building the state and
democratic
reforms.
Metropolitan
Epifany
urged a continuation of this support and a strengthening of the
sanctions on
Russia until a total cessation of violation of human rights in
the occupied territories,
their liberation from occupation, and the restoration of the
territorial
integrity of Ukraine and of its sovereignty within the limits of
internationally recognized borders.
Other
issues also
were discussed and an agreement was reached on future support of
bilateral
contacts, especially in the sphere of protection of freedom of
conscience and
religious confession.
The
meeting also included:
within the PTsU delegation, Metropolitan of Lvov and Sokal
Dimitry; the head of
the patronage council of the Metropolitan Fund of the Orthodox
Church of
Ukraine, Andrei Matsola; and the legal advisors of His
Beatitude, Andrei
Romanchuk and Marian Martyniuk; and within the American
delegation, the
temporary charge d'affaires of the United States of America in
Ukraine,
Christina Quinn; the acting assistant secretary of state for
European and
Eurasian affairs, Phillip Riker; the press secretary of the
State Department,
Ortegus Morgan; and senior advisor of the secretary of state
Mary Kissel.
After
the meeting,
the secretary of state viewed the St. Michael's Golden Domed
cathedral church, accompanied
by Metropolitan Epifany.
We
recall that
Metropolitan Epifany and Secretary of State Pompeo have already
met in October
of last year in Washington during an official visit by His
Beatitude to the
U.S.A. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 February 2020)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.