Dumenko discusses UOC-banning law with head of Papal Council in the Vatican
Epifaniy noted that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches serves as a platform for constructive dialogue among the country’s religious communities.
On December 13, 2024, Epifaniy Dumenko, head of the OCU, met with Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the OCU's press service reported.
During the meeting, Epifaniy briefed the cardinal on the current situation in Ukraine related to Russian military aggression. He also praised the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations as "a platform for constructive dialogue and fruitful interaction among the country’s religious communities."
Epifaniy highlighted the good relations between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Catholic Churches of both the Latin and Eastern rites operating in Ukraine.
In response to questions from Cardinal Koch, Dumenko described the state of freedom of religion in Ukraine, emphasizing "religious persecutions carried out by Russian occupation authorities in temporarily occupied territories."
In the context of religious freedom, the parties discussed amendments to Ukrainian legislation related to the ban on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and other religious centers under Russian control. The OCU's website stated that these religious centers are being used as instruments of hybrid aggression.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Pope Francis received Epifaniy Dumenko at the Vatican.
