Parliamentary Committee And Kyivan Orthodox Oppose Patriarch Alexis’s Visit

“The citizens of Ukraine are surprised that the invitation came from a politician who has no relation to the church, and not from a hierarch, as is accepted in Orthodoxy. In Ukraine, this invitation is considered canonical and ethical nonsense,” reads the statement which the committee sent to the Russian patriarch. It is also states that millions of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians associate the name of Patriarch Alexis II with “a dangerous and destabilizing factor in Ukraine’s religious life.” Therefore, the authors of the statement conclude that the visit of Patriarch Alexis II to Ukraine “is not welcome, since the majority of the Ukrainian population believes the Russian hierarch to be persona non grata in this country.” Movchan expressed his conviction that the patriarch’s visit will lead to nothing but destabilization in Ukrainian society and will deepen the split between the Moscow and Kyivan patriarchates. The national deputy also thinks that this visit is targeted at “the renewal of Russia in Ukraine.” According to Movchan, the committee has sent a request to the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, asking him to withdraw his invitation.

Source: www.unian.net