Good Talk about the value orientations of modern Ukrainian youth

On October 4, the Ukrainian Catholic University hosted a Good Talk about the value orientations of modern Ukrainian youth. It was a lively discussion during which participants discussed educational projects that educate young people, the importance of knowing history to become good citizens, and the army as a school of life for young Ukrainians.

The meeting was moderated by Zynovii Svereda, Doctor of Social Economics, political scientist, economist. The Good Talk lasted a long time and at ease. Several theses from the speakers:

"When we talk about values, we have to understand that this is something extremely important within us, something we are willing to die for, to donate.

Presentation of the book by Metropolitan Olexandr (Drabynko)

During the ESW, a presentation of the book by Metropolitan Olexandr (Drabynko) – "The Ukrainian Church: The Path to Autocephaly" was presented. All the material, which is placed on seven hundred pages of the book, is united by the idea of ​​canonical independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In general, the publication is intended for a wide range of readers – priests, faithful, church and public figures and anyone interested in the problems associated with the processes of independence of the Ukrainian Church. The book was published by the Foundation in Memory of the Blessed Metropolitan Volodymyr and the publishing house “Dukh I Litera.”

Seminar of the Ukrainian Christian Academic Society "Models of Unity of the Kyivan Church: Towards a Restoration of Communion"

During the 12th Ecumenical Social Week "Responsibility vs Populism," also an international seminar of the Ukrainian Christian Academic Society "Models of Unity of the Kyivan Church: Towards a Restoration of Communion" was held.Theologians and journalists discussed the issues of unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy after Tomos, the problems faced by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, analyzed the text of the document itself, including the recognition of the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the conflict on primacy in Orthodoxy, and sought new models of unity, evaluating attempts made in the past.

Open panel discussion on the “Causes and Consequences of Populism,”

On Thursday, October 3, an open panel discussion on the “Causes and Consequences of Populism” moderated by political analyst Taras Semeniuk was held at the Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi Center. Everyone was welcome to join the discussion (and ask questions to the speakers).

In the discussion participated:

- Fr. Pavlo Khud, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ukrainian Catholic University.

-         Pavlo Smytsniuk, Doctor of Philosophy, Director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University.

-         Roman Solovii, Ukrainian historian, theologian, Doctor of Philosophy, Director of the Eastern European Institute of Theology.

-         Taras Baziuk, editor of the political section at the radio “UA: Ukrainian Radio Lviv”.

“Now we have the phenomenon of "sacralization of power": when a political leader is positioned as a "messiah" and given 'messianic' qualities. Like, he is the only one who can lead us from "darkness" to "light."

Discussion with best experts on populizm issues

An open discussion on "Responsibility VS Populism" began, with experts in various fields:

-         Olha Aivazovska, public figure, chairman of the board of the All-Ukrainian public organization "Public Network “Opora”"

-         Fr. Roman Ostrovskyi, Doctor of Biblical Theology, Vice-Rector of the Kyiv Three-Saints Theological Seminary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

-         Andrii Saichuk, journalist, TV presenter

-         Taras Semeniuk, political analyst

-         Bishop Olexandr (Drabynko), Metropolitan of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Vyshnevskyi, Orthodox Church of Ukraine

-         Joseph Zisels, Executive Vice President of the National Communities Congress of Ukraine, Head of the General Council of the Eurasian Jewish Congress

-         Yurii Pidlisnyi, Head of the Department of Political Sciences, Head of the Ethics-Politics-Economics Program, Doctor of Philosophy

-         Mykhailo Perun, Doctor of Social Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Theology, UCU

-         The discussion was moderated by Iryna Kiyanka, Doctor of Political Sciences, Associate Professor at the Lviv Regional Institute of Public Administration of the National Academy under the President of Ukraine.

The participants of the discussion are convinced that populism (as well as corruption) cannot be completely destroyed, it can only be reduced. But this requires developing state institutions, encouraging people to get quality education, nurturing moral values, and "bringing up" their own elite.

"We do not yet understand: what is the Ukraine project in the world? Speaking of strategic planning measures, we need to think: what is Ukraine's mission? What goals does Ukraine set, and not for the sake of the European Union, but herself? Because we did not have this vision, this is probably why every five years we were "thrown," either toward Russia or the EU, and every president took advantage of it.

And this uncertainty provided the ground for the identity crisis, to which we are approaching," – says political analyst, Taras Semeniuk. He adds, because we do not have our own development model, other countries are imposing models at us. In this way appears a basis for the raising of populism.