Human rights and the protection of the rights of believers

(UOC) - On July 13 the seminar dedicated to the Ukrainian presentation of the "Basics of the Doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church on Dignity, Freedom and Human Rights" was held at the Synodal Hall of the Kyiv Metropolis. Taking part in the seminar convoked at the initiative of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC and was conducted under the joint presidency of His Eminence Metropolitan Lazarus of Simferopol and Crimea (pictured left), Plenipootentiary Representative of the Supreme Council (Verkhovna Rada) of Ukraine on Human Rights Nina Ivanivna Karpachova and chairman of the President's Fund "Ukraine" Leonid Danylovych Kuchma, also taking part were numerous representatives and heads of the international public and human rights organizations of Ukraine.

During the seminar a number of issues were discussed, in particular, all the participants of the event underscored high importance of this document not only in the life of the Church, but for the modern Ukrainian society.

Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church archimandrite Kirill Hovorun presented the Ukrainian issue of the "Basics of the Doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church on Dignity, Freedom and Human Rights", having told the story of the most important principles of the document.

The seminar participants also paid attention to the modern state of the legal relations in the Ukrainian society. In Particular, the plenipotentiary Representative of the Supreme Council of Ukraine on Human Rights Nina Karpachova basing on numerous examples underscored in her report the importance of cooperation of the human right organizations and bodies with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. By the end of the session all the present were propounded

for discussion and suggestions the information on creation of public organization "Orthodox Human Rights Protection". The seminar participants approved the initiative of creation of the public organization ‘Orthodox Human Rights Protection", intended to protect rights of the believers. They also recommended to create the public council to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, consisting of human right organizations for more efficient human right activities.