Ukraine cabinet: Patriarch Kiril’s likely visit to Kyiv is provocation
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) synod will gather to discuss whether or not to invite Moscow’s Patriarch Kiril to visit Kyiv to attend the festivities related to the anniversary of Ancient Rus christening , cabinet’s department for the issues of religion said June 19.
Given Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the visit of Kiril will look like a provocation. The synod may pass the invitation under outside pressure, the department said in a statement.
“Ukraine will do everything within the law to oppose the visit to any oblast, including Donbas.
Such visit will merely raise a wave of inter-confessional hostilities. The visit may be realized when Russia stops its aggression and returns Crimea to Ukraine’, it says.
Earlier, the Kyiv-affiliated UOC accused the Moscow-affiliated part of the UOC of trying to move the festivities from Kyiv to Kherson, allegedly, due to risks to Kiril in Kyiv.
However, the ultimate purpose of Moscow and UOC(MP) is to gather UOC(MP) bishops on Moscow-controlled territory in Kherson to dislodge its present patriarch, Volodymyr.