Ecumenical Patriarch sits down with President of Ukraine

Kyiv (RISU) — On 20 May 2008, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko met with a delegation of the Constantinople Patriarchate (CP) of the Orthodox Church. At the beginning of the meeting, Yushchenko expressed his gratitude for the efforts of the CP to consolidate Orthodox Churches. “We support in all ways the efforts made by you in the Christian world,” said the president.

He expressed both the position of the state and that of the Ukrainian clergy with regards to the desire for unity amongst Ukrainian Churches.

“Both the Ukrainian religious community and the state are convinced that we should promote closer relations with the mother Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate,” said Yushchenko. “Ukraine is going [down] this road.”

The president thanked CP representatives for the visit, noting its excellent timing in the months approaching the 1020th anniversary of baptism of Russ and inviting universal patriarch Bartholomew I to participate in the celebration in the end of July.

In their turn, CP representatives thanked the Ukrainian president for the opportunity to examine the desire and expectation of the Orthodox Churches for consolidation and noted that the process is effective only when all parties are prepared to contribute.

They also extolled Yushchenko’s efforts as an official figure in light of his ability to promote this process without politicizing it.