On Easter eve Ivan Baloga met the region clergy

Today, April 12 on Maundy Thursday, the Head of the Regional Council Ivan Baloga met the bishops and superiors of almost all the churches that operate in Transcarpathia. The meeting dealt with the church local community issues, plans for the future, as the press service of the regional council informs. From the government representatives in the event participated the following officials: the Head of the Regional Council Volodymyr Zakurenyy and Andriy Serbaylo, Deputy Head of Regional State Administration Volodymyr Hoblyk, Manager of the Executive Staff Council of Regional Council Mykhailo Popovich, Heads of Uzhgorod and Khust City Councils Viktor Pogorelov and Volodymyr Kashchuk and the Head of  Uzhgorod District Council Mykhailo Fedynets, Regional Council deputies.

Among the participants there were the Head of the Mukachevo Diocese UOC, Archbishop of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod Theodore, the Secretary of the Diocese Petro Murnyk, the Diocesan bishop of Mukachevo Greek-Catholic diocese Milan Shashik, the Secretary of Khust Diocese UOC, Archimandrite Yefrem, the Head of Transcarpathian diocese UOC KP Dishop Kiril, the Chairman of the Union of Christians of Evangelical Free Faith of Ukraine, Bishop Vasil Raychunets, the Head of the Regional Unification of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) Viktor Khrupta, the Head of Regional association of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Ivan Kondor, a senior priest of the united Christian Evangelical Church of the Living God Mykhailo Balko.

Primarily Ivan Baloga on behalf of the deputies of Regional Council and of himself congratulated sincerely the participants with the upcoming bright holiday of Christ’s Resurrection, and thanked them for the visit of the Regional authorities to discuss the current issues despite the great pre-holiday work.

The Head of Regional Council thanked priests for their good deeds and education of young people. Also the Head of Council said that the Regional Council will continue the open dialogue with churches and contribute to a gradual issues resolution.

 Heads of the Churches thanked Ivan Ivanovych for the meeting in particular and the representative government for assistance in resolving of many disturbing religious community issues pointing out that these good relations should be strengthened and developed.

 BACKGOURND: there are 1634 religious communities, 57 monasteries, six religious educational establishments, seven missionary associations, nine religious fraternities, three centers and 13 departments in the region. There were built 554 worship places over the period from 1992 to 2010. Twenty eight temples were built in 2011.