OREANDA-NEWS. The meeting was attended by the Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav and the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, His Excellency Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk emphasized he highly praised the visit of the Cardinal Christoph Sch?nborn to Ukraine.

"We have always felt and still have the support of the Catholic Church in our struggle for independence, territorial integrity, freedom and rights. I appreciate your endeavours in supporting Ukraine", said the Head of Government.

He reminded about his meeting with Pope Francis in April of this year, "I am aware His Holiness said for several times the prayers for Ukraine. We highly appreciate it."

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that Ukraine faced serious challenges, "But with God's help and the help of the Church we shall overcome them".

The PM noted that freedom of worship is one of the fundamental values for Ukraine. According to him, the Church and religious organizations in Ukraine "have found a way to co-exist and respect each other."

"We have a real unity, despite the fact that there are certain attempts to use religion as a tool of political influence", emphasized Arseniy Yatsenyuk.