Ukrainian nationalists to hold protest against Patriarch Kirill’s visit

Ukrainian nationalists are preparing to hold a protest against the visit of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), who arrives today to take part in the festivities dedicated to the baptism of Rus’, writes the newspaper Kommersant-Ukraina in the Patriarshii Sbor, Ukrayinskyi Tyzhden reports.

“Russian Patriarch Kirill again comes to us with his fixed idea on building in Ukraine the so-called Russian World, while the Ukrainian church denominations are acquiring moral authority in the country,” said the head of the secretariat of the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, Volodymyr Manko.

He said that the protest against the visit of Patriarch Kirill to Ukraine will be held today at the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

“Between the Russians and Ukrainian in the mental-psychological dimension is a huge gap, which can not be overcome. The Russian World is foreign and hostile to Ukrainians,” said Manko.

We remind that this is Patriarch Kirill’s fifth visit to Ukraine over the past two years. His previous visits were accompanied by confrontations between his opponents – Ukrainian nationalists – and supporters from among the pro-Russian organizations.

This time the head of the ROC will stay in Ukraine for three days. He will take part in the celebrations devoted to the 1023rd anniversary of the baptism of Rus’, which will be held on July 28.

In his message to the clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the baptism of Rus’, Patriarch Kirill urged the peoples of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to be worthy successors of the holy Prince Volodymyr, the baptist of Rus’.