DESS chief discusses OCU membership with World Council of Churches
Viktor Yelensky meets with a delegation from the World Council of Churches. Photo: DESS
Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), met with a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) that had arrived in Kyiv to learn about the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) following its application for membership in the organization.
During the meeting, Yelensky discussed the religious situation in Ukraine, different Churches' attitudes toward the ecumenical movement, prospects for improving relations among Orthodox Churches, and the implementation of the law “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations,” which targets the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
For their part, WCC representatives provided DESS officials with a detailed explanation of the organization's admission procedures, how membership applications are reviewed, and the internal workings and decision-making processes of the WCC and its governing bodies.
As the UOJ previously reported, Yelensky told the World Council of Churches that the law does not place a burden on the consciences of UOC believers.
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