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Published by Stetson University Russia Religion News, March 10, 2005

Politicians hold diverse views on Ukrainian Orthodoxy

YANUKOVICH DECLARES SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE

Portal-credo.ru, 9 March 2005 - The party of Viktor Yanukovich [defeated presidential candidate--tr.] will support the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate according to a statement made by Yanukovich Wednesday in Moscow in conversation with reporters.

"The [oppositional] Party of the Regions has made the decision. We will support the traditional Ukrainian Orthodox church, Yanukovich said, according to a report by the news agency "Novosti-Ukraina." He said that the opposition also will strive for the introduction of the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" course into Ukrainian schools and for the production of Orthodox programs on Ukrainian television. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 March 2005)

Mir religii, 5 March 2005 - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is confident that a united Ukrainian Orthodox church will be created in Ukraine: "I am sure that we will live to see an assembled Ukrainian Orthodox church," Yushchenko declared when he addressed today the founding congress of the "Our Ukraine National Union" in Kiev.

Yushchenko also expressed confidence that "we have the possibility of respecting the feelings of every person irrespective of which church he attends. If we are friendly with various confessions and respect feelings, I am sure that we will find the answer for living in fraternity and mutual understanding, without ignoring the feelings of a single person," Yushchenko said.

At present the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate has the majority of parishes, while the second largest number of believers and parishes are in the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Kiev patriarchate, which grew up as a result of the unification of two branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy that have advocated independence from the Russian Orthodox church: the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox church and some of the representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 March 2005)

Religious Information Service of Ukraine, 2 March 2005 - Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP), was invited by the leaders of the Ukrainian People’s Party (UPP) to participate in the opening ceremony for the Sixth Assembly of the UPP, which took place in the Ukraine National Palace on 26 February 2005. At the request of National Deputy Yuriy Kostenko, head of the UPP, the patriarch said the "Our Father" and greeted the more than 3000 delegates and guests of the assembly, wishing them God’s blessing, fruitful work and wise and considered decisions.

Patriarch Filaret stressed the importance of the consolidation and cooperation of all the democratic and patriotic forces which supported President Viktor Yushchenko in Ukraine’s recent presidential runoff election, for the development of Ukraine. This cooperation for the good of Ukraine, can, according to patriarch, become a strong foundation for new social relations among the people of Ukraine, based on the precedence of spiritual over material values.

The UOC-KP site says that, since the founding of Rukh ("Movement" or the People’s Movement of Ukraine for Perestroika) in 1989, whose ideas and spirit are continued in Yuriy Kostenko’s UPP, national-patriotic forces have consistently supported the necessity of creating a National Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. In the name of the UOC-KP, Patriarch Filaret stressed many times that, while it remains outside of politics, the UOC-KP has supported and will continue to support all political forces that work to strengthen Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, as well as the spiritual and moral revival of its people.

Several UPP activists, including Ivan Drach, Pavlo Movchan and Vasyl Chervonii, are members of the Higher Church Council of the UOC-KP. (posted 10 March 2005). Source: Ukrainian Orthodox Church (KP)

ANCIENT KIEV CHURCH BUILDINGS SHOULD BELONG TO CANONICAL UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Pravoslavie.ru, 1 March 2005 - The heart of Orthodoxy of the eastern slavs--the ancient churches of Kiev--should belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox church that is recognized by all as the canonical church. This opinion was expressed today at the Moscow patriarchate, in a comment on the report appearing in the Ukrainian press concerning the possibility of the transfer of the historic churches to the newly formed structure, the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Kiev patriarchate (UPTsKP), ITAR-TASS reported.

"The church of the Tithe and other ancient churches were built in the period of Kievan Rus. At the time there was no division between the church located within the borders of Ukraine and the church located within the borders of present-day Russia," the secretary for inter-Orthodox relations of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarch, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov said. From this it clearly follows, in his opinion, that the ancient churches "should be property of the Ukrainian Orthodox church that is in canonical fellowship with the Moscow patriarchate and with Orthodoxy worldwide."

The agency's interlocutor declared that the Russian Orthodox church considers "the task of restoration of the unity of the Orthodox church in Ukraine, which has suffered from schisms, to be extremely important." But "achieving this task is possible only on the basis of the sacred canons" (the Moscow patriarchate is convinced that unification of Orthodox communities is possible only around the church that is recognized by ecumenical Orthodoxy).

According to statistics, around 10,500 parishes belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate, while barely more than 3,000 belong to the Ukrainian church of the Kiev patriarchate, and more than 1,000 to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox church. The Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate received the status of independence and self-administration in 1990, without breaking canonical ties with the Moscow patriarchate. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 March 2005)

Portal-credo.ru, 4 February 2005 - In Kiev work on restoration of the historic monument, the church of the Mother of God (church of the Tithe) has begun, "Blagovest-info" reports, citing "Korrespondent.net." The head of the Kiev city government, Alexander Omelchenko, told this to reporters on 3 February.

He said that the cost of the work will run around 90 million grivnas (17 million dollars). Omelchenko stressed that the question of the restoration of the church is "the first question that the new president has placed before Kiev."

The church will be rebuilt upon the ancient foundation which will provide possibility for conducting archaeological investigations. Similar techniques were used in restoring the church of the Archangel Michael of the Golden Roof.

The church of the Tithe (989-996) was the first stone church in ancient Rus. It was constructed by Byzantine and Ancient Russian builders in the period of the reign of Vladimir Sviatoslavovich, who donated a tenth of his principality's income for its construction, whence it received its name. The church of the tithe is a "church on the blood." According to tradition, it was built on the spot where pagans killed, in 983, the Varangian Christians Ioann and Fyodor..

The church, along with many sacred objects, ancient icons, and books were irreplaceably lost during the destruction of Kiev by the forces of Batu in 1230. . . .

It was previously intended by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to restore the church of the Tithe during 2001-2003, which was expressed in his order "On urgent measures for restoration of the church of the Mother of God (Tithe) in the city of Kiev." Cost of construction was to have been paid by the charitable fund "Regeneration of the church of the Tithe." (tr. by PDS, posted 10 March 2005)



Volume 7 Number 11 - Tuesday, March 15th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY