Before Journey to Ukraine Patriarch Kirill Talked to Ukrainian Journalists

On July 23, at the official Patriarch’s residence at St. Daniel’s Monastery His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia met with the journalists of the leading Ukrainian mass-media. Taking part in the meeting were representatives of the TV-channel INTER, information agency UNIAN, Ukrainian national radio-station “Era FM” and the weekly edition “Focus”.

“I’m going to Ukraine with a good feeling. Of course I am aware of the difficulties existing in the church and social life. But the visit to Kyiv – the mother of Russian cities, to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, to our greatest shrines always gives such a charge of spiritual energy by which one can live for a long time.

One of the first questions – if there any political underpinning of this journey. “It is a pastoral visit. One should not see in it and political components. Of course, I will be asked some questions having some political colouring and I’m going to answer them. But it won’t be the voice of a politician, because my objective is not to make political forecasts, but my objective as a patriarch is to pray with people, to think together with them.”

The journalists also took interest in the issues of interrelations of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Local Church, the issues of interaction of the Church and power.
The patriarch of Moscow said that the Church has to be unified and non-politicized. They asked what His Holiness was going to talk about with the President of Ukraine. The Patriarch said that they would refer to the religious life in Ukraine, since the political contradictions inside the country should not be an obstacle on the way of man to the Church.

Andriy Danylevych, host of the TV-Channel INTER: “The conversation was exciting and informative. As a journalist I have got answers to my questions. I’d like to talk to the Patriarch a little more, but the time was limited, but I think, there will be an opportunity to continue our communication in Ukraine, and we are looking forward to this visit.

Lana Samokhvalova, information reviewer of UNIAN agency: “The situation in Ukraine is very complicated, but no doubt that it will be an event, there are people for whom he is a chief person in their Church, they treat him with sincere love, a part of his fold has a reserved attitude towards him, and are just observing.” As a result, the conversation lasted a little more than an hour and we had time even to ponder over the place of the material and spiritual values in the life of man.

The full version of the interview with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with the Ukrainian mass-media will be broadcast by INTER TV channel and later by the Russian television – the TV channel

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