• Home page
  • News
  • OCU Primate receives the "Athenagoras Human Rights Award" in the USA...

OCU Primate receives the "Athenagoras Human Rights Award" in the USA

20.10.2019, 12:30
OCU Primate receives the "Athenagoras Human Rights Award" in the USA - фото 1
Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and all Ukraine, who is on a visit to the United States, received the "Athenagoras Human Rights Award" on October 19 in New York.

Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and all Ukraine, who is on a visit to the United States, received the "Athenagoras Human Rights Award" on October 19 in New York.

нагорода.jpg

“It is with sincere gratitude that I received the Athenagoras Human Rights Award in New York today. I accepted it not as a reward for me personally, but as a sign of the success of the work of thousands and even millions of Ukrainian Orthodox believers at home and in the Diaspora. For the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 15 in the Diptych of Sister Churches, the youngest at the time of the Pan-Orthodox proclamation, but old and glorious in its history, is the fruit of labor, heroism, prayers and struggle of many generations of our devout people, hundreds of hierarchs, many thousands of priests and millions of believers.

It is a great honor for me to accept the award, which bears the name of Patriarch Athenagoras – an outstanding church and public figure of the twentieth century, who was a true servant of the unity and canonical order of universal Orthodoxy...

I believe that the day will come when all Local Churches, without exception, will abide by the canonical decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and recognize our Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine as an equal Sister Church. I believe that in Constantinople - the New Rome a Pan-Orthodox Council will be held, as it was conceived and for the sake of which Patriarch Athenagoras has invested great effort. I believe that the work started by the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete will be continued and such Councils will become an integral part of Church life,” the Head of the OCU wrote on Facebook.

візит_в_США.jpg

On October 18, Metropolitan Epifaniy met with Volodymyr Yelchenko in the USA, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, and Oleksiy Golubov, the Consul General of Ukraine in New York. Ukrainian diplomats congratulated the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on the decision of the Council of hierarchs of the Greek Church to recognize the autocephaly of the OCU. During the meeting, we discussed the challenges facing the Ukrainian Church, in particular, Russia's attempts to interfere in the process of formation of our Church. Ukrainian diplomats assured that they will provide comprehensive assistance to the initiatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine at the international level. 

The press service of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on the official website reports about the meeting of Metropolitan Epifaniy in the United States with representatives of the UN Alliance of civilizations – an international organization that has been engaged in the establishment of interethnic, intercultural and interreligious dialogue for 15 years. During the meeting, the parties discussed the religious situation in Ukraine, in particular, the oppression suffered by the communities of the OCU in the temporarily occupied territories.

img-4382.jpg

"In the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as in the Crimea, there is a difficult situation with the communities of the OCU, which operate underground or semi-underground under the threat of physical violence or even death, we are raising this issue at the state and interstate levels, because the right to freely choose a religion is the basic freedom of people around the world," the Primate of the OCU noted and added that Mr Moratino assured of support from the UN Alliance of civilizations, including advice and assistance in organizing negotiations at the diplomatic level, as well as initiating discussions on religious freedom in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine at events organized by the Alliance, with the involvement of the Ukrainian side.

Metropolitan Epifaniy spoke with American journalists of Fox News as part of his visit to the United States.

Reference: Athenagoras Human Rights Award was founded in 1986 by the National Council of the Order of St. Andrew in America. It is awarded annually to a person or organization that confirms its effectiveness, commitment and dedication to the cause, care for the rights and religious freedom of all people. The award is named in honor of one of the major Church figures of the twentieth century, Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople.