Russian political analyst believes Vatican is likely to subordinate one local Ukrainian Church

22 July 2008, 18:04



Kiev, July 22, Interfax - The plans to establish one local Church in Ukraine are directed against the Moscow Patriarchate and the new organization may be subordinated to Vatican, the State Duma MP and CIS Countries Institute head Konstantin Zatulin believes.



"It may occur that creation of one local Church is a substation on the way to subordination of this Orthodox Church to more powerful and rich in resources Roman Catholic Church," he said Tuesday at the Kiev international conference dedicated to the 1020th anniversary of Russia's Baptism.



According to the political analyst, plans to establish one local Church in Ukraine are to give the country's authorities a chance to influence church politics.



He also noted that such intentions demonstrated "their wish to complete Leonid Kravchuk's (the first Ukrainian President - IF) undertaking - to tear Ukrainian parishes apart from the Russian Orthodox Church after Ukraine gained independence."



However, Zatulin noted, "when a schism is called unity, it is a trick."



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