Relations Between UOC-KP and RCC in Odesa Example of Interdenominational Tolerance

Bishop Mark of Odesa and Balta of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) met with Bishop Ordinary of the Odesa-Simferopol Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Bronislaw Bernacki.

Bishop Bronislaw said that over the years the Eparchy of Odesa and Balta of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Odesa and Simferopol Diocese have had friendly relations, which is a true example of interfaith tolerance and peace in Odesa.

At the invitation of Bishop Mark, the guests visited the Cathedral of the Nativity in Odesa and the church’s Sunday school.

Bishop Mark told Bishop Bronislaw the story of the oldest church in Odesa and of the modern life of the church’s community. Bishop Bronislaw Bernacki venerated the relics of St. Mark and St. Barbara, which are kept at the altar of the Cathedral of the Nativity.

As a souvenir of their meeting, Bishop Bronislaw gave Bishop Mark a Czestokhowa Icon of the Virgin Mary, and Bishop Mark gave Bishop Bronislaw an anniversary edition of Patriarch Filaret’s church way, the press service of the Kyiv Patriarchate reports.