Yelensky to EEA head: Critics of Ukrainian freedom of religion work for RF

V. Yelensky at a meeting with J. Wessels. Photo: DESS

On June 23, the Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) Viktor Yelensky held a meeting with the Secretary General of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) Jan Wessels, during which they discussed religious freedom in Ukraine. This was reported by the DESS press service.

Yelensky assured Wessels that, "despite the war, Ukraine strives to maintain high standards in the field of religious freedom".

The report stated that "the parties discussed large-scale and well-funded attempts by Russian propagandists, diplomacy, and special services to discredit Ukraine in the international arena as an alleged violator of freedom of conscience and religious human rights". The specific individuals discussed were not mentioned in the report.

"The parties agreed that such attempts are aimed not only at weakening the support of Ukraine by the global European community but also at whitewashing Russia," the DESS press service says.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Yelensky, the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church cannot be considered a violation of religious freedom.

Read also

Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer

In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.

Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova

Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".

Bancheny Monastery reports provocation

The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.

Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine

On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.

Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution

At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.

Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession

The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.