His Excellency Ihor Prokopchuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Romania, made another visit to the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate in Romania on Friday, October 4.
Vicar Nicolae Lauruc welcomed the Ambassador at the Vicariate headquarters in Sighetu Marmației.
The Vicariate reported that the discussions focused on protecting the rights and freedoms of the Ukrainian minority in Romania and the Romanian minority in Ukraine, emphasising church life in both countries.
The Vicar highlighted the essential role of the Church in preserving a people’s ethnic identity, emphasizing the support provided by the Romanian Patriarchate to Orthodox Ukrainians in Romania.
In addition to the support offered by the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs, the Romanian Orthodox Church, through its Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate, plays a vital role in preserving the ethnic and religious identity of Ukrainians in Romania.
By emphasizing the use of the mother tongue in worship, the Church is the only institution playing an effective and crucial role in combating denationalization, assimilation, and the loss of ethnic identity.
The challenges faced by the Ukrainian community in Romania were also discussed.
Both the Vicar and the Ambassador agreed that dialogue between Romania and Ukraine must intensify regarding protecting national minority rights, combat the spread of misinformation, and support the best decisions that impact Ukrainians in Romania and Romanians in Ukraine.
Other attendees included Vasile Ruscovan, a representative of the Ukrainian community, Father Petru Rahovan, Protopresbyter of the Ukrainian Orthodox Deanery in Sighetu Marmației, and Counselor Priest Marius N. Lauruc.
The Ambassador’s previous visit to the Ukrainian Vicariate took place at the end of May.
Photo: Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate in Romania
