Representatives of churches and religious organizations of Ukraine and Russia met in Germany
January 20-22, 2015 the working group of heads and representatives of churches and religious organizations of Ukraine and Russia met in Wuppertal (Germany) to consider the implementation of Oslo Roundtable Resolution steps (September 11, 2014). The United Methodist Church in Germany has helped with hosting this meeting.
During the work of the group suggestions were made on priority directions for further development of the dialogue between the religious communities of the two countries. Ways to expand the humanitarian assistance by religious organizations to relief the physical and moral suffering of the people of Donbass, forced migrants and refugees, were offered. Possible steps to continue the dialogue between Russian and Ukrainian churches and religious organizations were considered.
The working group participants visited the church «Gemarker Kirche», where “Barmen Theological Declaration” against pro-fascist movement of “German Christians” was signed in May 1934, and the city synagogue, where they got acquainted with the life of the Jewish community in Wuppertal.
Participants:
from the Ukrainian side
- Archpriest Mykola Danylevych, deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate
- Archbishop Evstratiy (Zoria), Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchat
- Viktor Alexeenko, president of the Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
- Pastor Valery Stepanovich Antonyuk, president of the Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB)
- Anatoliy Raichynets, Deputy Secretary General of the Ukrainian Bible Society
from the Russian side
- Konstantin Bendas, a senior official with the Russian Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith
- Bishop Eduard Khegay, United Methodist Church in Eurasia
- Pastor Pavel Kolesnikov, Chairman of the "All-Union Commonwealth Evangelical Christian"
- Vladimir Vladimirovich Samoilov, Head of the Expert Committee for Development of Consultative Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches of Russia, Evangelical Baptist Christians «Russia Inland»
