PATRIARCH KIRILL'S STATEMENT ABOUT SEIZURE OF CHURCH IN VINNITSIA PROVINCE UNTRUE
The Office for Affairs of Nationalities and Religions of the Vinnitsia provincial state administration officially reports that the information voiced by Patriarch Kirill about the seizure of UPTsMP churches in Vinnitsia province does not correspond to reality. The religious situation in Vinnitsia province is characterized by the tolerant coexistence of 2,095 religious organization of 35 confessions, denominations, and movements," the director of the office, Igor Saletskii, declared.
He also recalled that on 30 April 2014, the Vinnitsia provincial Council of Churches and Religious Organizations addressed residents of Vinnitsia with a statement regarding the maintenance of peace and the impermissibility of manifestations of aggression and intolerance on religious and inter-ethnic grounds, which was published in local news media and Internet resources.
"Today the heads of all provincial religious administrations of Vinnitsia province are unanimous on the question of the cohesion of society and tolerant mutual relations among confessions. The activity of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has been the key to preserving in the province peace and mutual understanding on religious grounds. At a regular session held on 4 February 2015, the consolidated position of all members of the Council of Churches was once again confirmed," the statement says.
"The Office for Affairs of Nationalities and Religions of the provincial state administration reports that there have been no instances of the seizure of UPTsMP church buildings in Vinnitsia province. All necessary measures for preserving peace and mutual understanding in the religious environment of the province have been taken jointly with the provincial Council of Churches and Religious Organizations," the website VinnitsiaOK quotes the words of Igor Saletskii. (tr. by PDS, posted 9 February 2015)
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