Today, February 24, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived to Kyiv. At the Boryspil airport he was met by His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, permanent members of the Holy Synod of the UOC and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraodinary of Russia to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov and people's deputy of Ukraine Mykola Azarov.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was accompanied by chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokalamsk.
His Holiness the Patriarch answered journalist's questions.
On the eve of the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kyiv Caves His Holiness the Patriarch will pray at the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and will visit the caves to bow unto the relics of the Venerable Fathers.
On the commemoration of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God on February 25 at the (Refectory) Church of Sts Anthony and Theodosius of the Kyiv Caves Monastery Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in concelebration of Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine will perform the prayer service during which he will pray for Ukraine and its people. Following the prayer service His Holiness the Patriarch in concelebration of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the permanent members of the Holy Synod of the UOC will celebrate the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
In the course of visit the meeting with the president elect of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych is planned.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church asks not to politicize the visit of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to Ukraine and to refrain from radical and emotional estimates in the days of Lent, concentrating on prayer and search of the ways of mutual understanding and brotherly love between people.
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