Kyivan Patriarchate Warns That Renewal of Tithe Church Can Cause Religious Confrontation

At the session of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate on October 21, its participants expressed concern over the possibility of constructing a new church in the place of the Tithe Church in Kyiv and its transfer to the Moscow Patriarchate.

In particular, the clergymen of the Kyivan Patriarchate are concerned over the Bill “On Revival of the Unique Symbol of Orthodoxy, the Tithe Church of the Mother of God” registered by a deputy of the Party of Regions faction in the Parliament, Y. Miroshnychenko. The document envisages the construction of a “National Orthodox Complex” including a National Museum of the Ancient Church and Orthodox Culture in the place of the oldest brick church of Kyivan Rus.

On October 21, at the session of the Synod of Bishops the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, the bishops analyzed the bill of Miroshnychenko and expressed “deep concern over the attempts of politicians to interfere in church life by submitting controversial bills in favor of one of the denominations active in Ukraine.”

The synod also reminded the deputies that “any legislative initiatives which directly concern the life of the churches should be discussed with all the interested parties in advance. It especially applies to the bills which directly or non-directly influence the relations between the Kyivan Patriarchate and Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine and can potentially sharpen the religious confrontation,” reads the resolution of the Synod of UOC-KP.