Patriarch Filaret Lists Objectives for President to Ensure Equality of Denominations
KYIV – Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) submitted to the president a list of issues which need to be settled in the area of the church-state relations. In an official letter to the head of the state of June 29, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate asked Viktor Yanukovych to put into practice the requests in order to ensure that all denominations are equal in Ukraine.
According to the press service of the UOC-KP, the list includes the following:
– to include representatives of the UOC-KP in the Organization Committee of the 1000th anniversary of Sophia of Kyiv;
– to restrain from granting the request of the UOC-MP [Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate] to renew services in the so-called Warm or Small Sophia or to pass it on a parity basis for the alternate use of the Kyivan Patriarchate and UOC-MP according to the law;
– to meet with the head of the UOC-KP to discuss ways of further developing church-state relations. "The main theses of the position of the Kyivan Patriarchate on this question were sent out in the letter sent to you from the Holy Synod on May 14, 2010," reads the letter. Patriarch Filaret also supported the proposal for the president to meet with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations;
– to participate in the celebration of the Day of Baptism of the Kyivan Rus organized by UOC-KP and "show possible assistance in the organization" of the celebration.
"We are praying for you as the President of Ukraine, asking the Lord to continuously give you gracious assistance in fulfilling your responsibilities to serve the Ukrainian nation and we invoke God's blessing on you," assured Patriarch Filaret.
