Yushchenko dismisses accusations of mishandling Patriarch Kirill’s visit to Ukraine

Kiev, August 14, Interfax – Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko has denied accusations by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the visit by the Patriarch Kirill was not organized properly.

“Regarding the visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Ukraine it should be stressed that the latter expressed his gratitude to our country’s leaders for organizing his stay in Ukraine at a high level. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church certainly made no mention of any of the criticisms voiced in your letter, which are discrediting the very spirit of this visit,” the Ukrainian head of state said in his reply to the Russian leader, posted on the Ukrainian president’s website.

Linking Patriarch Kirill’s visit to Ukraine to the bilateral Ukrainian-Russian political relations is “baseless and irrelevant,” Yushchenko also said.

The Ukrainian president also dismissed Medvedev’s remarks about Ukraine’s meddling with the affairs of the Orthodox Church. “The Ukrainian leadership respects the canons traditions of Churches and religious organizations. The Ukrainian Church is separated from the state, and each citizen has the right to profess any religion. At the same time, no one can prohibit citizens from expressing freely their opinions on any issue, including religion,” Yushchenko said.

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