Scandal erupts between Moscow and Kiev: Metropolitan Hilarion "persona non grata" in Ukraine
Moscow (AsiaNews ) - The refusal of entry to the Moscow
Patriarchate's "foreign minister", Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, has
raised yet another diplomatic row between Kiev and the Russian Federation,
casting shadows on the fate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Among the most senior representatives of the Russian Patriarchate, the chairman
of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations was rejected entry at
the border and forced to return to Russia, on May 9. Arriving at the
international airport of Dnepropetrovsk, Hilarion was stopped at passport
control, before the authorities showed him an official note which prohibited him from entering the
territory of Ukraine. As reported by the Patriarchate Department for External
Church Relations, no further explanation was provided.
Hilarion was slated to participate in the celebrations for the 75th birthday of
Metropolitan Irinej of Dnepropetrovsk and Pavlograd , as the representative of
the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill . The message sent by the Russian Orthodox
primate was read to Irinej, who arrived at the scene after the mishap at
customs, in a room at the airport.
The Russian Orthodox Church has strongly condemned the episode, calling it
"an attempt to transfer the civil and political conflict in Ukraine to the
religious sphere". Hilarion - who said he was "surprised" -
warned that "what happened raises many questions, because the Church carries
out only a mission of peace". "Whoever made that decision did not act
very wisely, because the Russian Orthodox Church is outside of politics" Archpriest
Igor Yakymchuk , who accompanied Hilarion in his visit to Ukraine told
Kommersant. According to the priest, the Patriarchate will take measures in
response to the incident, although " it is still not clear what".
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also intervened. It has demanded an apology
and "exhaustive explanations" from the Ukrainian authorities, branding the episode
as a "provocative and unprecedented" act. "Moscow is worried by
the continuous measures by the current regime of Kiev, which only contribute to
the further destabilization of the situation in the country", a statement from
the ministry said, which emphasizes that "today even the canonical Orthodox Church has
become their target".
After several days of silence, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has distanced itself
from the incident. "The right to entry, is up to the Border Service
," said spokesman Yevgeny Perebyinis .
Since last month , Ukraine has "temporarily" banned entry to Russian male
citizens, aged between 16 and 60 years, for reasons related to the
deteriorating situation in the eastern regions of the country.
Another sign of the intensification of diplomatic tension even around the state
of the Orthodox Church regards the Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail,
Agafangel, who has been missing since last week . According to the online
newspaper Rupor Odessy , citing the press service of the diocese , the
religious left town on a previously organized "vacation", but without specifying
where he currently is.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
31/07/2018 09:59
