Kyiv Patriarchate Held Religious Procession to Celebrate Baptism of Rus

Today the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate held a religious procession to the Monument to St. Volodymyr in Kyiv. Clergymen constituted one third of the procession. There were practically no party symbols except for a flag "For Ukraine" carried by one individual and one banner "Moscow colonizer priest, out!" According to UNIAN.net, approximately 10000 people attended the event. RISU's Ukrainian-language website posted this story on July 28.

Yurii Chrnomorets reported to RISU that most of the banners were in support of the UOC-KP as the national church of Ukraine. Patriarch Filaret explained that today's holiday is not only a church one but also a state one for 1022 years ago Ukraine became part of the European Christian society. That choice determined the fate of the country, which still seeks to be part of Europe.

In his sermon, the head of the Kyivan Patriarchate mostly abstained from polemical attacks on the messages of Patriarch Kirill. At the same time, he warned his faithful against the nature of the temptation contained in the call to return to the one holy ecumenical and apostolic church. According to Patriarch Filaret, this temptation is a deception and divinization of the unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, and the preaching of the Russian World is an even bigger deception. The hierarch noted that the UOC-KP is part of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church and therefore all the talk about the return is an attempt to deceive.

(Second photo - http://delo.ua/)