Kuchma receives delegation of Orthodox diaspora bishops (09/07/97)

Kuchma receives delegation of Orthodox diaspora bishops

SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. - President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine on Saturday, August 23, received the delegation of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops outside Ukraine.

Members of the delegation, as appointed during the second annual synaxis of the standing conference were: Archbishop Vsevolod, UOC of the U.S.A.; Bishop Yuriy, UOC of Canada; and Bishop Jeremiah, UOC of South America. They were accompanied by Anatole Lysyj and Michael Heretz as advisors.

The delegation informed the president about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the diaspora, its work, and its aid to Ukraine during the six years of that country's independence. The delegation conveyed to President Kuchma the desire of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches to assist the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine to find a way of consolidating into one national Orthodox Church.

President Kuchma noted that Ukraine has already begun preparations for observing 2,000 years of Christianity and expressed his belief that by that time Ukraine will have only one independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The realization of the idea to unite existing factions into one Church will require a great deal of dedicated work, said the president.

The delegation also met with Patriarch Filaret (UOChurch - Kyiv Patriarchate), Patriarch Dymytrii (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church), Bishop Ioann, representative of Metropolitan Volodymyr (UOChurch - Moscow Patriarchate), and heirarchs of other Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. It also took part in the World Forum of Ukrainians, specifically in its roundtable on religious matters in Ukraine.

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