UAOC Called Hierarchs of Orthodox Churches of Ukraine and Historians to Popularize Idea "Kyiv is the new Jerusalem"

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) called the hierarchs of the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine and historians to popularize the idea “Kyiv is the new Jerusalem,” says a special address of the hierarchical council of the UAOC of July 16.  The hierarchy of that church stresses that the Kyivan idea is one of the main elements of the church identity of the UAOC and hopes that it also considerably influences the formation of the identity of other church jurisdictions in Ukraine.

The document stresses that “Kyiv is the new Jerusalem” has been and continues to be not only a symbolic historiosophic formula or ideologeme but also as the religious ideal which for centuries determined the spiritual, cultural, and sociopolitical priorities of the people of Ukraine.  

According to the hierarchs of the UAOC, the Kyivan idea is especially topical today when the church and social conscience is seeking ideas and symbols to promote unification: “Kyiv is the symbol of the historic succession; the symbol uniting modern Ukraine with the ancient Kyivan Rus and its cultural heritage, which is viewed as the ‘golden age’ of our culture and statehood by all Ukrainians regardless of their residence, in the West or East of Ukraine.”