We appreciate it: Dumenko thanked U.S. for supporting Tomos of the OCU
Head of the US State Department Anthony Blinken and Epiphany Dumenko. Photo: pomisna.info
On October 6, 2021, the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, thanked the United States of America for supporting the Tomos provided to the OCU by the head of Phanar, the OCU website reports.
During the meeting on the territory of the St. Michael Monastery, Dumenko stressed that he is deeply grateful to the American people, the United States of America, for the support this country "has provided and continues to provide us in the fight for justice and truth."
“I had the opportunity here, within these walls, to personally express this gratitude to the previous Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, as well as the current Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. And today I want to reaffirm it in front of your representative delegation, "Dumenko said.
He also wants to thank the United States for supporting "religious freedom" in Ukraine and said he appreciates the "strong public support for this fundamental human right that the US Government is showing."
“The achievement by our Orthodox Church of Ukraine of recognition as an independent Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the granting of the Tomos in 2019 – a special document of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, which attested to our independence, received public support from the United States as a manifestation of freedom of religion, and we appreciate it,” pointed out the head of the OCU.
The leader of the religious organization, whose supporters seized, including with the use of physical force, several hundred churches of the UOC, told the American delegation that, together with representatives of Christian confessions, Jews and Muslims, he is doing “everything to protect the religious and national peace in our state."
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that according to one of the leaders of the Ukrainian schism, Makariy Maletich, Phanar issued the Tomos to the OCU, because it was confident in the support of the United States.
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