From 17 to 24 October 2019, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy and all Ukraine, will be on a visit to
the United States of America. He will be conferred on the “Athenagoras
Human Rights Award” in New York.
The “Athenagoras Human Rights Award” was founded in 1986 by the
National Council of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate in America, and is awarded to a person or
organization that " through their actions, intentions and dedication
consistently demonstrates concern for the fundamental rights and
freedoms of religion for all people." The prize winners are determined
by a Committee of clergy and laity. The list of those who have already
had the honor of being awarded the Athenagoras Human Rights Award"
includes the 39th us President Jimmy Carter, the 41st us President
George Bush and his wife Barbara Bush, Nobel peace prize winner Mikhail
Gorbachev, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and others.
A reception in honor of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifanity of Kyiv and all Ukraine, and an awards
ceremony will be held in New York on October 19.
"Soon I plan to visit the United States not only to participate in
the festive event, I also intend to hold fruitful meetings in New York
and Washington with the clergy, public figures, representatives of
international organizations and the Ukrainian Diaspora, as well as with
representatives of state institutions of America, which has been a
reliable ally of Ukraine. In their course, we will discuss modern
religious and secular challenges for Ukraine, present the achievements
and changes that have occurred in recent years, in particular in the
life of our Church. Of course, along with a number of positive
evolutionary changes, we also face new challenges and dangers, but we
see them and are ready to accept and overcome – we will also talk about
this during meetings in the United States," Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote
on his Facebook page.
During his visit to the United States, the Primate will be
accompanied by a delegation consisting of Archbishop Yevstratiy of
Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church
Relations and Andriy Matsola, Chairman of the Board of Patrons of the
Metropolitan Fund of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The visit will also include a presentation of the “Metropolitan Fund of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.
Religious Information Service of Ukraine