The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations Meets with Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi
On June 4, a working meeting was held between the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) and the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, at the premises of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES). The meeting also included representatives of the Public Council for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Organizations under the MES.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC; Fr. Petro Maiba, Head of the UGCC Commission on Education and Upbringing and the UGCC delegate to the Public Council under the MES; and Fr. Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Department for External Relations of the UGCC in Ukraine.
During the meeting, several current issues concerning state-religious relations were discussed, including:
- the introduction of basic military training in higher education institutions;
- amendments to the bill on the modernization of educational institutions;
- the possibility of obtaining a third level of education in higher ecclesiastical institutions on a full-time basis in the absence of a state order;
- prospects for establishing the institution of educational chaplaincy;
- other important topics related to the interaction between the religious community and the state in the field of education.
In his remarks, His Beatitude Sviatoslav underscored the importance of developing both military and educational chaplaincy. He presented the UGCC’s initiative to create a military chaplaincy course for clergy and stressed the need for state recognition of Vatican diplomas—particularly those obtained from academic institutions in Rome. Such recognition would allow these degrees to be treated as equivalent to Ukrainian academic degrees, which is vital for the accreditation of ecclesiastical educational institutions.
Special attention was given to the teaching of Christian ethics in Ukrainian schools as a component of the spiritual and moral formation of young people.
During the discussion, the parties outlined shared priorities and reaffirmed their readiness for continued dialogue to strengthen social institutions and the spiritual and moral foundations of Ukrainian education.
The UGCC Department for Informationbased on materials from the AUCCRO
