In Ukraine there is a big schism between Churches, – Catholic Archbishop

The Archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, said there are still many poor people in Ukraine, and this embarrasses the Europeans; and there is a big schism between the Churches in the country, reports Vatican Radio.

The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church believes that Ukraine "belongs to Europe". Asked what he thinks about Ukraine's membership in the European Union, Heiner Koch replied that the Catholic Church would "insist on concrete steps that must be taken" in this regard.

In addition, the archbishop said that the people who stood on the Maidan in 2013, "died for Europe." At the same time, he noted that despite this, there are still a lot of poor people in Ukraine, the number of which "embarrasses Europe".

Also, the Archbishop of Berlin drew attention to the fact that in Ukraine there is a big schism between the Churches: "One is accused of being too Polish, another one – too Russian, and the third – too nationally Ukrainian. But if there is no reasonable joint action, the mission of the Church will suffer."

Heiner Koch, the Archbishop of Berlin, is responsible in the German episcopate for the "Renovabis" charitable foundation. His mission is to help Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe. In mid-September, he came to Ukraine with a 5-day visit.