CIPs will teach faithful of the UGCC how to manage money correctly

Monday, 08 December 2008, 22:36

"A very close prospect is the opening in every eparchy/exarchate of the UGCC consultative-informational points (CIPs) where it will be possible for everybody to get complete information on this fund in particular, and systems of non-government pension provisions generally. We are doing this in order to teach people how to manage money, how to save it more effectively." So said Fr. Vasyl’ Kopychyn, head of the supervisory council of the Non-government Pension Fund Pokrova (Protection), in an interview with Radio Resurrection talking about the fund’s first months of activity. Talking about the benefits which the Church has from the creation of the fund, Fr. Vasyl’ explained that the primary aim is the social protection of the faithful. "The idea of the Church is a really great and human matter; in fact, the UGCC will not have some special benefit from the creation of a pension fund. Every kopeck, whether one hryvnia or 100 hryvnias, is put aside in the segregated account of every participant and it is the personal funds of that person which pass from a generation to generation," the head of the supervisory council of the NPF Pokrova said. Answering the question why the Church created its own pension fund and did not become a participant of an already existing one (more than 100 non-government pension funds are incorporated in Ukraine), Fr. Vasyl’ said that it was possible to do this, but "then the responsibility would pass onto other shoulders." "In the heavy moments of the life of the nation, the Church has always put its shoulders to work. For example, in the time of Metropolitan Andrey (Sheptytsky) in addition to the existence of secular banks and some enterprises, the Church, caring for the social necessities of the faithful, founded its own banks, cooperative stores, and credit unions, which helped people. In this manner the Church propagated those new methods, new methods of administration, which could be introduced into the economy," answered Fr. Vasyl Kopychyn, head of the supervisory council of the NPF Pokrova.

Information Department of the UGCC

More information (in the Ukrainian language) about the NPF "Pokrova" on the web page of the fund: www.pokrova.in.ua