Tensions rise between rival Ukrainian Orthodox groups

Kiev, Mar. 26, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A noted Russian political scientist has charged that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko plans to break up the Orthodox Church in that country.

Sergei Markov, speaking to the Interfax news service, said that Yushchenko is involved in efforts to divide the Orthodox faithful of Ukraine-- an effort that he described as a "crime against the Russian Orthodox Church being masterminded by enemies of the Orthodox religion."

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine has actually been split for years, since 1992, when Metropolitan Filaret-- who had been the head of the Russian-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church-- broke with Moscow to establish an independent Kiev patriarchate. The Russian Orthodox Church has refused to recognize that group, instead backing the rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow patriarchate.

The tensions between the rival Kiev and Moscow patriarchates have troubled Ukrainian Orthodox clerics and even spilled over into the political world, prompting government officials like Yushchenko to seek an end to the rivalry. Their efforts have raised hackles in Moscow, where government leaders look askance at the Ukrainian drift away from political alignment with Russia.

The heavy influence of the Moscow patriarchate, which has sought to maintain its traditional control over the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, has also been a point of contention. Earlier this month Archbishop Dimitri, the rector of Kiev's Orthodox Theological Academy, acknowledged to reporters that a visit by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II could provoke a strong reaction among Ukrainian believers who resent Moscow's involvement.

Archbishop Dimitri was asked to comment on a proposal that the Russian prelate could be invited to participate in celebrations marking the 1020th anniversary of the "baptism of the Rus"-- the first establishment of the Christian faith in Ukraine. He replied: "We will recognize this visit if it is conducive to Church unity."

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