US Secretary of State urges Ukraine to move toward autocephalous Church

Politician, diplomat, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, in a statement published on the website of the US State Department on Friday, October 19, called on the Ukrainian authorities to continue moving towards the creation of an autocephalous Church, reports Korrespondent.net.

“We call on the Church and the authorities of the country to move towards the creation of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The United States reiterates its support for religious freedom and freedom of religious groups, including Orthodox in Ukraine,” wrote an American politician and stressed that he supports the desire of Ukrainians to“ independently manage their religion and pray as they like.”

To be reminded, earlier the special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine Kurt Volker said that the United States is a secular state, based on the principle of freedom of religion and does not interfere in the solution of religious issues in Ukraine.

As the UOJ reported, on September 11, President Poroshenko met with the US Ambassador for international religious freedom, Samuel Brownback. As the presidential press service noted, “Ambassador Brownback assured that the United States will continue to support Ukraine in the struggle to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right to have a Single Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.”

Read also

Over 60 parishes of Orthodox Church of Moldova join Bessarabian Metropolis

According to those who have made this transition, the ROC is unrecognized in Moldova.

In Cherkasy, a prosecution witness testifies against Metropolitan Theodosiy

Metropolitan Theodosiy joined the court session via video link.

Patriarch of Jerusalem supports persecuted hierarchs of UOC

Patriarch Theophilos expressed concern over the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

MP Kniazhytsky: UOC has no right to declare autocephaly

The parliamentarian believes that the UOC can exist as a non-canonical structure after breaking ties with Russia.

SBU presents suspicion to a monk of Kyiv Vvedensky Monastery

Law enforcement has initiated a criminal case against a cleric of the UOC for posts on social media.

In the village of Kalyta, OCU supporters seize a UOC church

Documents justifying the actions of masked individuals who'd cut the locks on the church were not presented to UOC parishioners.