AUCCRO Reps Still Do Not Understand Why Meeting with President Was So Urgent

One of the first questions at today’s press conference with the head of the UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav, at UNIAN was about the role of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) in the Ukrainian society and the reaction of the heads of the churches to the cancellation of the meeting with the leaders of the European Union in Brussels for the sake of a meeting with President Yanukovych.

Patriarch Sviatoslav stressed that the AUCCRO, which includes Ukraine’s heads of churches and has been active for 15 years, is a unique institution and experience for Ukraine.

“Ten of the 15 years of the AUCCRO's existence were years of struggle for independence from the state structures and political battles. The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches has this independence despite the authorities’ temptation to restrict it,” said the patriarch.

The hierarch said that the authorities showed interest in the AUCCRO, which is a positive thing because in the present situation it is easier to organize a meeting with the leadership of the EU than with Ukraine’s president; therefore, the AUCCRO made a choice in favor of the meeting with President Yanukovych.

“We had to respond to the president's invitation, we hoped that our authorities would understand the importance of such an institution as the AUCCRO, which not only is important for Ukraine but also for establishing international contacts. I expressed an opinion that the president should not be afraid of the international representation of the AUCCRO as it is a step toward declaring our faithful’s Euro integration aspirations, a possibility to become their voice,” said Patriarch Sviatoslav.

Representatives of the AUCCRO hoped to hear a clear explanation for the urgency of the meeting and, as Patriarch Sviatoslav stressed, they did not hear one, and from what they heard, they did not understand why it was so urgent.

As for the Euro integration aspirations, according to the hierarch, the UGCC would like to have a bureau in Brussels. It would also be advisable for the AUCCRO to have one in order to be able to represent in the international arena the voice of the organization and of all its churches and faithful. For, as Patriarch Sviatoslav said, there are many questions to be settled, in particular, the liberalization of the visa regime to allow Ukrainians to stay abroad in dignity.

The date of the meeting of the AUCCRO with the leaders of EU is unknown at the moment.