Volker: US doesn't participate in resolution of religious issues in Ukraine
Religious issues should be addressed by the Ecumenical Patriarch and his Synod, said US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker.
The United States is a secular power that is based on the principle of religious freedom and does not interfere in the resolution of religious issues in Ukraine, said Kurt Volker in an interview with "Ekho Moskvy" ("Echo of Moscow"), commenting on the topic of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church.
According to the American diplomat, the issue of the Church's autocephaly in Ukraine is viewed as political only by the Russian side, since "Russia does not want Ukraine to have an independent Church", and added that such issues should be resolved by religious authorities, in particular, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his Synod.
At the same time, Volker stressed that the US is concerned about the situation when freedom of religion is restricted by some external force and they will always support the faithful: "We believe that all people have the right to choose their religion, find their path to God, and we protect this principle within our own country."
"In this case, a situation has arisen where many believers, many citizens of Ukraine believe that they are being denied their own interpretation of their religion, in affirming their own path to God and self-realization as believers," the US Special Representative said. "And we support the right of every person to have their own beliefs and their own respect for these beliefs."
As reported by the UOC, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on September 25 that the United States supports the adherents of autocephaly in Ukraine.
