Orthodoxy in Ukraine to Organize Web Conferences on Important Religious Issues

KYIV — The information portal “Orthodoxy in Ukraine” jointly with the official site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced the introduction of organizing thematic web conferences on urgent questions of religious life in Ukraine.   On January 15, 2010, the first web conference “How to view the attempts to seize religious buildings by representatives of other denominations against the background of the already begun dialogue between the UOC [Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate] and UOC-KP [Kyivan Patriarchate]?” is to be held. The readers’ questions will be answered by Archbishop Serhij of Ternopil and Kremenets of the UOC and Bishop Yevstratij (Zoria), the head of the Information and Publishing Department of the UOC-KP. Yurij Reshetnikov, the head of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions, will act as an independent expert.

"Orthodoxy in Ukraine" invites all interested persons to already submit questions for the participants.

“As we know, the confrontation over the Church of the Holy Protection in the village of Musorivtsi in Ternopil Region is sharpening and not subsiding... The events in Musorivtsi are perceived by believers especially sharply in view of the joint sessions started in 2009 between representatives of the UOC and UOC-KP, the final aim of which is to overcome the division in Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church [Moscow Patriarchate] are concerned: what dialogue can there be given the aggressive and unlawful actions of representatives of the Kyivan Patriarchate?” says the report of Orthodoxy in Ukraine.

For an introduction, the site posted brief opinions of the participants.

“Our attitude to the events in Musorivtsi is unambiguous: it is violence and anti-Christian actions…People do not know what they are doing as they are beside themselves. But our duty is not to give up as we are within the field of the law, we do not violate the Constitution of Ukraine. And what is the claim against us, why should we give them the church if they do not want to be Orthodox? It was quiet for some time, therefore someone has provoked them,” stressed Archbishop Serhij.

Bishop Yevstratij voiced the position of the UOC-KP: “One has to concentrate on steps toward overcoming this divide. When we overcome the division, I think we will be able to solve these problems which, thank God, are not of mass character even though some try to show them that way.”