President Victor Yushchenko has welcomed in our country Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. The welcoming ceremony was held today at Boryspil airport, according to the President`s press-office reports.
He also stressed that Ukrainians consider the visit an exhibit of deep Christian love to the whole Ukrainian people.
 
Saint Patriarch Bartholomew I from his part appreciated President Yushchenko for the invitation to participate in celebration of 1020th anniversary of Baptism of Rus’.
“We have come here to pray for unification of all the Christians of Ukraine. We arrived here as angels of peace who desire unity”, - he proclaimed.
 
Together with President, President’s Chief of Staff Viktor Baloha, NSDC Secretary Raisa Bohatyryova, former President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Vice Prime Minister Ivan Vasyunyk, Minister for Culture Vasyl Vovkun, Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine, other officials were present at the Saint Liturgy in Kyiv.

Solemn hymns and prayers were resonating in golden-domed Orthodox Churches across Ukraine on Friday to mark the 1020th Anniversary of this region`s conversion to Christianity.

Ukrainian officials were decided to use the events to lobby for autonomy for the local church from Russia, while the dominant Moscow Patriarchate will struggle to retain influence over this mostly Orthodox country of 48 million of people.

For the Ukrainian heads, recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as Moscow`s equal would mean a great step in their drive to assert independence and shed centuries-long Russian influence. That effort brought strength after the 2004 Orange Revolution that moved Ukraine away from Moscow and closer to the West.

"Ukraine is now an independent state like Bulgaria or Georgia, and it is absolutely normal for it to have its own church," said Anatoliy Kolodny, leader of the religion studies department at the National Academy of Sciences. "There is nothing odd in that."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the global  top Orthodox spiritual leader based in Istanbul, Turkey, attended the ceremonies and supported the autonomy of the Ukrainian church, despite Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II`s efforted to thwart the move.

"Were this decision to be made today, it would bring to another schism in the church," proclaimed Andrei Zolotov, chief editor of the Russia Profile magazine and an expert on Orthodox church affairs.

As the religious celebrations approached this week, tensions grew. Both sides had blamed each other for making intensions to sabotage the events, scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

Both sides can be blamed for mixing religion with politics. At political rallies priests from both churches often bless activists and voice provide  for candidates. The Moscow Patriarchate recently took part in a ceremonial procession in Kyiv, praying that Ukraine will not be accepted into NATO.

Most experts do believe that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will eventually reach the same independence as Orthodox churches have in other predominantly Orthodox countries. "In the historical future, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church must reach autocephaly a full canonical independence — the question is only when and how it will happen," Zolotov added.