OCA Primate Meets Two Heads of State

On Thursday, July 24, His Beatitude, Metropolitan THEODOSIUS met with Mr. Leonid Kuchma, President of Ukraine. The one-hour meeting took place here during an official visit of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During the course of their deliberation, Mr. Kuchma recalled how Orthodox faithful in America responded with medical and financial assistance following the tragic Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

Metropolitan THEODOSIUS spoke of the continuing work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in Ukraine, while introducing President Kuchma to IOCC personnel based in Kiev. In addition to the President and OCA Primate, also participating in the meeting were His Beatitude, Metropolitan VOLODOMYR, Fr. Vitaly Romanous (Ukrainian Orthodox Church), Fr. Dennis Pihach (OCA Diocese of Canada), and Mr. David Lucs

Metropolitan THEODOSIUS was the main celebrant at a hierarchical divine liturgy on July 28 at Dormition Cathedral at the Monastery of the Caves. Thirty hierarchs concelebrated with 4000 faithful in attendance. The entire service was broadcast on Ukrainian National TV.

Last week, Metroplitan VOLODOMYR blessed a new church in the home town of President Kuchma, located in the Chernigov diocese. Mr. Kuchma attended that consecration.

This past weekend Metropolitan THEODOSIUS and his entourage traveled to Georgia, where he was an official guest of the Catholicos of the Georgian Orthodox Church, His Holiness, Patriarch ILIA. On Saturday, August 2 the OCA Primate concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch ILIA, and 15 hierarchs of The Holy Synod. MetropolitanTHEODOSIUS also met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, where they discussed Orthodoxy in America and Georgia and the on-going work of the IOCC in Georgia and other issues.