NSDC Secretary talks with AUCCRO about foreign advocacy for Ukraine
Meeting of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council with members of the AUCCRO. Photo: IPC
On April 25, the new Secretary of the NSDC, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, and the head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, held a meeting with representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to discuss issues related to religion in Ukraine and abroad, as reported by the Institute for Religious Freedom.
The meeting was attended by heads and authorized representatives of various religious organizations, including the Ukrainian Bible Society, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists, the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical Faith, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Association of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine, and the Institute for Religious Freedom. Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were not present at the meeting.
The parties discussed the importance of continuing the international activities of Churches and religious organizations to advocate for Ukraine to the world. They also emphasized the need to convey truthful information about Russian aggression to international organizations in order to obtain assistance for Ukraine.
Additionally, the meeting positively acknowledged the adoption of the law on chaplaincy and the achievements made possible by its adoption.
Officials noted the importance of the service and status of clergy, as well as the pastoral, humanitarian, and psycho-spiritual activities of denominations during the war with the Russian aggressor.
As reported by the UOJ, in November 2023, authorities sent the AUCCRO delegation to the United States to "counter the wave" there in defense of the UOC.
Read also
UOC clergy deliver aid to frontline monasteries and parishes
Clergy of the Kyiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church delivered aid to frontline monasteries and parishes that provide daily support to refugees and the needy.
Vinnytsia region bans religious processions and pilgrimages until December
Vinnytsia’s Defense Council has imposed strict restrictions on believers ahead of the Easter holidays.
Nicaraguan authorities release 1,200 prisoners for Holy Week
In Nicaragua, more than a thousand inmates were released from prison during Holy Week and sent home under a “family cohabitation” regime, with an appeal to begin a “new life.”
Roman Catholics launch petition for return of historic building in Odesa
The Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine says there is a risk of losing the building and is urging people to support a petition calling for the return of a historic seminary property in Odesa to the Catholic community.
Fire breaks out near Holy Trinity Church in Kharkiv after shelling
A large fire broke out near the Holy Trinity Church in Kharkiv following a strike by Russian forces, while the church itself, according to the eparchy, was not damaged.
Media: Canadian clinics offer elderly patients euthanasia instead of treatment
An 84-year-old Catholic woman in Canada says she was offered euthanasia instead of treatment for a non-terminal condition. She refused, as her husband had done before her.