Yelensky, rabbis and Zoria speak in U.S. about freedom of faith in Ukraine
Ukrainian officials and religious figures discussed issues of freedom in Washington.
At the Washington Hilton Hotel, as part of the fifth Ukrainian Week, an advocacy event of the Ukrainian authorities titled “The Impact of War on Religious Freedom in Ukraine” is taking place. Participants included Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), OCU “Metropolitan” Yevstratiy Zoria, and Ukraine’s chief rabbis Yaakov Dov Bleich and Moshe Reuven Asman.
The participants criticized the Russian Federation for violations of religious freedom and praised Ukraine for observing it.
In his speech, Yelensky spoke about violations of freedom of worship in territories temporarily occupied by Russia, as well as the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the war. At the same time, he stressed that for Ukraine, freedom of conscience allegedly remains a fundamental value even during wartime, and that the state acts within the law.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Zelensky thanked members of the UCCRO for advocating for Ukraine abroad.
