Patriarch Kirill addresses U.N., European Council, and OSCE regarding risks to Orthodox believers in east of Ukraine

On August 18, 2014, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed a letter to the United Nations, the European Council, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in which he enumerates violations of the rights of the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the present military conflict in southeast Ukraine.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has informed these higher organizations of the great concern the Russian Orthodox Church has regarding continual attempts by Uniates (as he refers to Greek-Catholics) and schismatics (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Ptriarchate), who are according to him taking advantage of the military conflict in the southeastern part of the Ukraine to bring destruction upon canonical Orthodoxy in that besieged country.

In his letter, His Holiness expressed his hope that these higher international organizations will not remain indifferent to the problems facing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—the largest religious organization in the Ukraine. The chief hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church is calling upon the leaders of the U.N., the European Council, and the OSCE to raise their voices of authority to protect the Orthodox Christians of the Eastern Ukraine.

As RISU informed earlier the Ukrainan Greek Catholic Church representative in his public statement denied accusations.