Poroshenko vows there would be no 'state church' in Ukraine

09:36, 04.02.2019 1 min read

 The constitutional principle of independence of religious organizations from the state will remain inviolable in Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko said.

"I will stress once again: the recently registered Orthodox Church of Ukraine is and will be independent from the state in line with the Constitution of Ukraine. There will be no state church in Ukraine. This constitutional principle has been and remains to be inviolable," Poroshenko said following the enthronization ceremony of Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in Kyiv on Sunday.

The Ukrainian state has done all it could for the establishment of an autocephalous Orthodox church in Ukraine, he said.

"I am convinced that independence and mutual respect open the path to true partnership between the state and the church and to our joint work for the benefit of the country and the people," he said.