Extended meeting of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality jointly with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations
20 February 2015, 16:35
Members of the Committee, members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, that of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, H. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, NGOs and others were in attendance at the meeting on February 19.
The event aimed at discussing the problem of strengthening constitutional principles of freedom of consciousness and providing legislative support to the process of harmonization of the State-Church relations.
On behalf of all the members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, its presiding, President of the Ukrainian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Viktor Alieksieienko thanked members of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality for the opportunity to meet and discuss all the problems representatives of religious communities are concerned with.
Bishop of Irpin of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Klyment stressed the
necessity of focusing attention on the general Christianization of the
society. Farther Oleksa Petriv of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church asked those present, and especially the people’s deputies, to attach their attention to the draft Concept of state-denomination relations.
Representative of the National Institute for Strategic Studies S.Zdioruk said that the Concept of state-denomination relations is an urgent requirement of time. The concept will help settle controversies in state-denomination relations.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine A.Kolodnyi agreed that this document can become one of important tools for reaching social consensus and harmony.
Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality V.Yelenskyi proposed participants of the round table discussion to establish a working group with a view to further discus suggestions and remarks to the document.
Senior Bishop of Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church Mykhailo Panochko stressed that the entire society today needs to do a lot to restore peace, jointly protect Christian values, and combat corruption.
First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine I.Likhovyi and Director of the Nationalities and Religions Department to the Ministry of Culture A.Yurash claimed openness of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in cooperation with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations and the Committee on Culture and Spirituality.
Summing up speeches of the participants, Chairperson of the Committee Mykola Kniazhytskyi stressed the necessity of further active cooperation between the State and the Churches in order to refine the applicable legislation in the sphere of freedom of conscience and religious organizations.