On Wednesday, September 20, a roundtable discussion was held dedicated to "Peculiarities of the legal status of religious organizations in the legal framework of Ukraine: non-profit statu"”. The event was organized by the Department of Foreign Relations of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC in Ukraine. Opening the meeting, the head of the Department, Olexa Petriv, noted that the purpose of the round table was to discuss changes to the Tax Code of Ukraine, which compel religious organizations t...

In the cathedral of the Nativity of Ternopil, 19 September, the UAOC clergy elected a new diocesan bishop by secret ballot. Bishop Tikhon (Petranyuk) of Odesa and Chorniomorsk was elected. Most of the participants voted for his candidacy. Bishop Tikhon (Petranyuk) will be appointed as a ruling bishop of Ternopil Diocese after the approval of his candidacy by the UAOC bishops. According to the website of the Patriarchy of the UAOC, the meeting of Ternopil diocesan clergy was chaired by Metropo...

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has said that Ukraine has the right to an autocephalous Local Orthodox Church, and that he will push for its establishment. However, he also stressed that the presence of an autocephalous Church in Ukraine will not mean the banning of any other Orthodox confession within the country, reports Interfax-Religion. “The recognition of Ukrainian autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch that we are expecting will in no way mean the emergence of a state Church or a...

In der laufenden Sitzungsperiode des ukrainischen Parlaments diskutiert die Werchowna Rada ein Dutzend teils umstrittener Gesetzesvorlagen, die religiöse Angelegenheiten betreffen. Bereits im Mai hätten einige der betreffenden Vorlagen diskutiert werden sollen, aber aufgrund internationaler Proteste wurde die Debatte aufgeschoben. Kritiker befürchteten im Fall einer Annahme der Gesetzesvorhaben eine Einschränkung der Religionsfreiheit in der Ukraine.

Am 31. August 2017 haben Polizeikräfte die Volodymyr-und-Olga-Kathedrale der Ukrainischen Orthodoxen Kirche–Kiewer Patriarchat (UOK-KP) in Simferopol blockiert. Als die maskierten Männer in das Areal der Kathedrale eindrangen, beschädigten sie Eigentum der Kirche und beschlagnahmten unter anderem ein Kreuz, Ikonen und Porzellangegenstände. Von den beschlagnahmten Objekten wurde kein Inventar angelegt, dem zuständigen Erzbischof Kliment wurde kein entsprechendes Dokument zur Unterzeichnung geg...

The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is planning to adopt the new Charter of the Synod. This was stated by Archbishop and Metropolitan Yevgeny (Popovich of Przemysl and Warsaw, Head of the Canonical Department of the UGCC in an interview with the Department of Information of the UGCC. The head of the Canonical Department said that of the past year the Synod set the task to his department to supplement the legislative framework with new legal acts. “I hope that this yea...

In St Yura Cathedral, on September 3, 2017 during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy led by the Father and Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav, took place the solemn episcopal ordination of Bishop Andriy (Rabiy), Auxiliary Bishop for Philadelphia Archeparchy. First of all the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Claudio (Gugerotti), read a bull from the Holy Father Francis, where the Pope proclaims the father Andriy Rabiy the Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, assigned him the Titular Se...

The US Department of State released the 2016 International Religious Freedom Report. “This report is a requirement pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 – legislation that upholds religious freedom as a core American value under the Constitution’s First Amendment, as well as a universal human right”, said Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson during the press conference. The release of the 2016 International Religious Freedom Report details the status of religious freedom ...

Der ukrainische Präsident Petro Poroschenko erwartet vom Ökumenischen Patriarchat von Konstantinopel die Anerkennung der ukrainischen Autokephalie. Poroschenko äußerte sich anlässlich des „Tags der Taufe der Rus‘“ am 28. Juli und erklärte, Großfürst Vladimir habe den Glauben von der Kirche Konstantinopels empfangen, die deshalb bis heute die Mutterkirche der Ukraine sei. Daher erwarte die Ukraine von dieser die Anerkennung ihrer Autokephalie.