UGCC Head signed an agreement with the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine

Thursday, 13 December 2012, 10:17
In December 12, 2012 the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Sviatoslav and Alexander Lisitskov, the Head of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine (SPSU), Lieutenant-General of internal service, have signed an Agreement for cooperation. The Agreement is a reflection of cooperation according to the previous document signed by His Beatitude Lubomir Huzar in the year 2007. The text of the Agreement summarizes not only the structural changes that have occurred over the past 5 years, but also laid emphasis on pastoral care about staff of the SPSU and families of staff, students of educational the SPSU institutions, prisoners and persons detained, as mentioned Rev. Сonstantin Panteley, responsible for prison pastoral care in the UGCC.

In December 12, 2012 the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Sviatoslav and Alexander Lisitskov, the Head of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine (SPSU), Lieutenant-General of internal service, have signed an Agreement for cooperation.

The Agreement is a reflection of cooperation according to the previous document signed by His Beatitude Lubomir Huzar in the year 2007. The text of the Agreement summarizes not only the structural changes that have occurred over the past 5 years, but also laid emphasis on pastoral care about staff of the SPSU and families of staff, students of educational the SPSU institutions, prisoners and persons detained, as mentioned Rev. Сonstantin Panteley, responsible for prison pastoral care in the UGCC.

The goal of this Agreement is coordination of principles supporting the constitutional rights of inmates to have their religious needs met and the requirements of Ukrainian law in the realm of freedom of conscience according to their legal status. Besides that, the UGCC and the SPSU will become “closer partners” in work for social integration of former convicts.

The Cooperation of the Church and the State Penitentiary Service is now coordinated by the UGCC Office for pastoral care which is a structural division of the Department of Pastoral Care in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Counterparty on behalf of the SPSU is the Criminal Inspection and Socio-Psychological Service for Convicts Department.
Main directions of the cooperation is:  guaranteeing religious rights and freedoms to convicts, people arrested; charity assistance, informational and spiritual educational activities aimed at overcoming alienation, social isolation of incarcerated people, as well as work on prevention of AIDS, alcohol and drug dependency; assistance for renewal of relations betwinpisoners and their families, aid to convicts befor release et ctr.
A point must be reminded, that this new Agreement is a continuation of the tradition of pastoral ministry in prison, the principles of which were agreed upon by the Agreement for Cooperation between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the State Penal Department of Ukraine (April 2, 2007).

UGCC Department of Information

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