Ukrainian delegation went to the U.S. to justify itself for the law “On banning the UOC”

A Ukrainian government delegation is visiting the United States to hold meetings on the controversial bill No. 8371, recently passed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which aims to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The delegation includes representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, members of the parliamentary corps and employees of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience. This is reported by the official website of the State Service.

It is reported that the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, and the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Olena Kovalska, held a series of meetings on topical issues of religious freedom. The visit included meetings with: the leadership of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); Paul Massaro, Senior Policy Advisor to the Helsinki Commission; representatives of the U.S. Department of State; Elijah Brown, Chairman of the Baptist World Alliance; the leadership of the Museum of the Bible; Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Fund; and leaders of the Ukrainian American community.

“The participants of the meetings discussed key issues of religious freedom in Ukraine. The discussion focused on legislative initiatives to protect the constitutional order in the field of religious organizations, in the context of countering external threats and ensuring internal stability; they also exchanged views on the active participation of religious communities in public life and in the defense of the country,” — the press release reads.

As reported earlier, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience reported how many communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been re-registered to the OCU since 2018. According to published data, most of the UOC communities were re-registered to the OCU in 2022 and 2023.