Ukrainian religious figures took part in an honoring ceremony for American doctors who conducted dozens of reconstructive plastic surgeries for victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine. In addition, gratitude awards were given to the heads of U.S. companies that supplied critical medical equipment and medicines to Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion.

The formal event was held on November 2, 2023, in the Ecclesia Christian Community in Houston, Texas, with the participation of the delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations and the Consul General of Ukraine in Houston, Vitalii Tarasiuk.

The Ukrainian delegation addressed representatives of local evangelical communities, volunteer movements, business circles, and the Ukrainian diaspora, with whom they shared evidence of many lives among the civilian population that were saved thanks to the military and humanitarian support provided by the people of the United States. 

A special part of this event was the speech of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, co-founder of the Ukrainian Caucus in the U.S. Congress and a member of the Budget Committee. She declared reliable support for Ukraine from the U.S. Congress. In addition, her diplomatic efforts in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are aimed at the return to Ukraine of children abducted by the Russian authorities in the occupied territories and forcibly deported to Russia. 

The next day in Texas, the Ukrainian Council of Churches delegation visited the largest international private school in Houston, Awty, where an open discussion took place. They answered students’ questions about the struggle of the people of Ukraine for freedom, independence, and their democratic choice. On the same day, a similar discussion with the participation of Ukrainian religious figures took place at the Catholic University of St. Thomas.

НАШ ТЕЛЕГРАМ

Over the next few days in Houston, the Ukrainian delegation held meetings with representatives of the academic community of Texas and local reporters and visited the services of evangelical megachurches, where they communicated informally with the leadership and believers.

Before the visit to Texas, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations delegation held several events and meetings in Washington, D.C. Ukrainian religious figures had meetings at the White House and USCIRF and spoke about the high level of religious freedom in Ukraine despite martial law.

The UCCRO delegation arrived in the United States consisting of representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Evangelical Church, the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations, the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Bible Society, as well as the leadership of the Institute for Religious Freedom.

The visit of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations representatives to the United States was supported by RAZOM, a U.S. non-profit.

Source: UCCRO