Metropolitan Anthony met with the delegation of the World Council of Churches

On May 11, 2023, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, met with the delegation of the World Council of Churches. This is reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC with reference to the official Facebook page of Metropolitan Anthony.

The WCC delegation included: General Secretary of the WCC Pastor Jerry Pillay, Chairman of the Central Committee of the WCC Lutheran Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Shtrom, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the WCC Armenian Archbishop Viken Haykazyan, Director of the WCC Commission of Churches for International Affairs Peter Prouv and Head of the WCC Program «Ecumenical Relationships, Faith and the Constitution” Prof. Vasile-Octavian Mihok.

The meeting was also attended by Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, Chairman of the Legal Department of the UOC, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC, Archpriest Vasily Pryts, and Professor S. M. Bortnik. The delegation of guests is accompanied by the cleric of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina diocese, Archpriest Mykola Popescu.

During the meeting, they discussed the current situation in the field of interfaith and state-church relations in Ukraine. Metropolitan Anthony informed the delegation about systematic violations of the rights of believers and religious organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as about legislative initiatives directed against the Church. The parties shared their views on the possible role of the WCC in resolving crisis issues in the religious sphere of Ukraine.