RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Ekaterinburg authorities prepare vote on church construction

PARK REMAINS AMONG FIVE SITES PROPOSED BY ARCHITECTS FOR CHURCH IN EKATERINBURG

Interfax-Religiia, 31 May 2019

 

The Sverdlovsk branch of the Russian Union of Architects proposed the consideration of five sites in Ekaterinburg for construction of the church of St. Catherine, a representative of the union reported at a session of the expert council in the city hall on Friday, a live broadcast of which was transmitted on the portal of the city administration.

 

They include the embankment of the city pond beyond the Makarov bridge, the territory on October Square (but shifted to the southern boundary of the park), a site on Tatishchev Street opposite the Ekaterinburg Arena, the territory of the Alexander Nevsky New Tikhvin monastery, and a parcel at the intersection of Belinsky and Furmanov streets.

 

The director of the "Sotsium" Center of Sociological Research, Olga Rybakova, stated that it was necessary to select no more than six or seven sites. "If there were to be many, then we risk getting a dispersion of votes and it would be very difficult to determine the winner," she explained.

 

As reported, in mid-May mass demonstrations of protest against building the church of St. Catherine at a site in a park were held in the center of Ekaterinburg. During the demonstrations, a total of about 100 persons were arrested. Ekaterinburg authorities declared that a survey of residents will be conducted to determine their attitude toward construction of the church in the park, inasmuch as it is necessary to take into account the opinion of citizens. Before that, the president of the Russian Federation expressed such a suggestion.

 

A survey conducted by VTsIOM showed that 74 percent of citizens consider the park an inappropriate site for building a church. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2019)


 

WORKING GROUP FOR SURVEY ABOUT PLACE FOR CHURCH FORMED IN EKATERINBURG

RIA Novosti, 31 May 2019

 

The chairman of the Ekaterinburg city duma, Igor Volodin, signed an order about the creation of a working group for a survey of residents about the place for building a church of St. Catherine, the city duma reports on Friday.

 

Demonstrations against construction of a church on the site of a park in the center of the Urals capital were held in mid-May. During them, about 100 persons were arrested. Ekaterinburg authorities declared that a survey of residents will be conducted for the purpose of ascertaining their attitude toward construction of the church in the park, since it is necessary to take into account the opinion of citizens. City hall began the collection of suggestions of citizens regarding sites for building the church of St. Catherlne. As of 9.00 a.m. Friday, 9,966 appeals from residents of Ekaterinburg had been registered and that process continues.

 

"The chairman of the Ekaterinburg city duma, Igor Volodin, signed an order 'On formation of a working group on the question of preparing the organization of a survey of citizens in the city of Ekaterinburg.' The collection of the opinions of citizens is necessary in order to determine the site for construction of the church of St. Catherine in the capital of the Urals," the report says.

 

The working group will consist of the chairman of the city duma, Igor Volodin; the mayor of Ekaterinburg, Alexander Vysokinsky; deputies of the city duma Elena Bondarenko, Mikhail Vechkenzin, Aleksei Vikharev, Grigory Vikharev, Oleg Gordeev, Timofei Zhukov, Alexander Kolesnikov, Aleksei Mesheriakov; the vice-chairman of the public chamber of Ekaterinburg, Oleg Skvortsov; and the chairman of the city election commission, Ilia Zakharov.

 

In addition, the membership of the working group will include the chairman of the Sverdlovsk branch of the Union of Architects of the RF, Mikhail Viatkin; the secretary of the diocesan council of the Ekaterinburg diocese, Veniamin Rainkov; and the director of the department for relations of church and society and news media of the Ekaterinburg diocese, Maksim Minialo. The working group will also include ten representatives of the community "Parks and Squares."

 

The first session of the working group will be held on 3 June in the meeting room of the city duma.

 

"We note that each organization was given the opportunity during the week to independently select who of its members will be members of the working group," the report emphasizes. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2019)


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