AFTER SURVEY, AUTHORITIES SCUTTLE PLANS TO BUILD CHURCH
IN EKATERINBURG
PARK
Interfax-Religiia,
22 May 2019
Data from a VTsIOM [All-Russian Center for Study of
Public Opinion]
survey, showing that a majority of residents of Ekaterinburg are
opposed to the
construction of a church in a park, give reason not to consider
this option any
more, the governor of Sverdlovsk oblast, Evgeny Kuivashev, wrote
on his
Instagram account.
"I think that the data published by VTsIOM give the
basis for
excluding the park near the Drama Theatre from the list of
possible sites for
locating the church of St. Catherine. I am sending to the head
of Ekaterinburg,
Alexander Vysokinsky, a request not to include this square in
the list of
places in conducting the survey. We have passed through this
conflict and it is
exhausted. We must together find a new site for the church," the
governor
thinks.
As reported, according to VTsIOM data, published on
Wednesday, 58
percent of those questioned think that the church should not be
built in the
park.
"To the direct question whether the park near the Drama
Theatre is
an appropriate or inappropriate site for construction of the
church, only 10%
supported the choice of the site, and a majority of residents of
Ekaterinburg
(74%) characterized this place as inappropriate," the VTsIOM
report says.
Overall, 18% of residents of the city oppose
construction of the church
and 7% think that the church should be built in the park near
the Drama Theatre
in accordance with the project that was originally developed.
Another 14% think
that this church can be built in the park "on the condition that
the
project is adjusted by taking the opinions of citizen into
account."
The survey was conducted 16-20 May among 3,000
responders 18 and older.
Since 13 May mass protests have been held against the
construction of
the cathedral of St. Catherine on October Square in the center
of the city,
where at the present time there is a park. They began after a
fence was erected
in the park, enclosing the site of the planned construction.
After a week of protests and arrests, and also a view of what was happening expressed by President Vladimir Putin, the governor of Sverdlovsk oblast, Evgeny Kuibashev, on 18 May sent to residents of Ekaterinburg a request to discuss alternative areas for building the church. On 20 May the administration of Ekaterinburg announced the collection of suggestions of citizens on possible areas for building the church, which will continue for ten days. The fence around the park was demolished. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 May 2019)
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