His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II meets Ukrainian Supreme Rada Chairman V.M.Litvin

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia received a delegation of the Ukrainian parliament led by its chairman V.M.Litvin.

His Holiness said in his welcoming address: ‘We are happy that you come to Russia frequently and meet leaders of the Russian state as well as public figures and representatives of the Orthodox Church. I was very glad to see you at Christmas divine service in Christ the Saviour Cathedral.’

‘Ukrainian and Russian people have a common spiritual heritage of Holy Russia and one baptismal font in Kiev’, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy underscored. Russian monasticism has come into being in the Laura of the Caves in Kiev, where St.Nestor the Chronicler composed his tale for posterity about ‘where the Russian land has begun.’

‘We should not break off spiritual ties between our nations. I spoke about that when I met Ukrainian President V.A.Yushchenko’, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted.

Discussing problems of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Holiness the Patriarch emphasized that it was fully independent in administrative and economic matters, but preserved spiritual and canonical unity with successors of the holy Prince Vladimir and his traditions. His Holiness is convinced that the current problem of fulfilling the rights of the canonical Church’s believers, especially in Western regions, should be resolved as soon as possible

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted with appreciation the words said by the Ukrainian Supreme Rada speaker at the jubilee celebration of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir at the national palace ‘Ukraina’. V.M.Litvin said that secular power should never try to govern the Church, but politicians should listen to men of faith and profit by their guidelines.

V.M.Litvin informed His Holiness of the setting up of a parliamentary commission that will make a thorough study of the facts of violating the right of citizens to religious freedom. ‘We are against recurrence of the mistakes of the past when the authorities intervened in religious affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Rada said. V.M.Litvin thinks that state interference in religious affairs and the earlier attempts to establish ‘an official church’ have brought about schism in Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

Ukrainian parliament speaker underscored a particular importance of maintaining spiritual unity, which is a foundation of comprehensive development of Ukrainian-Russian relations.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia noted that Kiev had recently welcomed representatives of almost all Local Orthodox Churches on the occasion of the jubilee celebration of the 950^th anniversary of the Laura of the Caves in Kiev and celebration of the 70^th anniversary of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir. His Holiness emphasized that ‘the recognition of Orthodoxy in Ukraine by all Local Churches, and its important role and significance were clearly expressed at the celebrations. He is sure that the state should cherish this recognition and promote the growth of Kiev’s authority in the Orthodox world and in the Chr5istian world as a whole.

Answering journalists’ questions after the meeting, the Ukrainian parliament speaker said he was convinced that the state’s duty is to create conditions for the Church to fulfil its pastoral mission, while the Church should determine its development on the basis of its canons and its thousand-year history.