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RISU.org.ua 13.04.2007, [15:41] // Church-state relations //

Kyiv – The bringing of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem throughout Ukraine has been manipulated politically. So reads the statement of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), released by orthodox.org.ua on 12 April 2007. Both receiving and spreading the blessed fire is the prerogative of the church and priests, reads the statement.

The representatives of the UOC-MP state that “by bringing the blessed fire to Ukraine, the cathedral church of the head of the Kyivan church has become a ‘hostage’ to the manipulative game of politicians with the holy item, and the ancient cathedral of the Kyivan metropolitans has been turned into a theatrical stage for TV broadcast. Its aim is to deceive the Ukrainian people by a virtual church unification by politicians interested in such ‘union.’”

According to the representatives of the UOC-MP, the presence of the head or a representative of the UOC-MP is “inexpedient at the ceremony of meeting the fire at St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv, since Roman and Greek Catholics, who are indifferent to this holy item, participate, as they use every chance not to receive it in Jerusalem. Another reason that makes [our] presence impossible, according to the UOC-MP, is the participation of representatives of the [Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate] UOC-KP.”

“The [UOC-MP] is able to provide their faithful with the blessed fire of Holy Saturday from the hands of the patriarch of Jerusalem, as has been done for many years,” reads the text of the statement.

RISU note: In recent weeks, civil authorities have been bringing the fire originally brought from Jerusalem to various cities throughout Ukraine and they have been greeted by various religious and civic representatives.

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