Russian Patriarch Visits Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine -- Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has begun a visit to neighbouring Ukraine.

He will meet the country's President, Viktor Yushchenko, in Kiev, before travelling to the east of the country.Like Russia, Ukraine is a predominantly Orthodox country, but the Orthodox Church itself in Ukraine is split.Some Ukrainian Orthodox believers think Patriarch Kirill's visit is aimed primarily at boosting political Russian influence in their country.After arriving in Kiev on Monday, Patriarch Kirill set off in a motorcade to visit the holiest sites in the capital. He will later travel to the industrial heartlands of eastern Ukraine.What makes this trip so controversial is Patriarch Kirill's vision.He is a relative newcomer to the post, having been elected in February.He has articulated a vision of Orthodoxy's future, in which the Russian Orthodox Church holds the dominant, first position among the scattered branches of Orthodoxy.This makes the visit highly sensitive.DivisionsIt raises questions of spheres of religious and political influence, which often cross what are the region's relatively new state borders.After 1991, when Ukraine gained its independence, the Orthodox church there split, with the Moscow patriarchate controlling the larger branch of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.Meanwhile, believers from the smaller Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate think the Russian-backed church does not support Ukrainian independence, culture or language.Furthermore, there are political divisions inside Ukraine.In Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill will be seen as the head of one big family.But in western Ukraine, nationalist groups have protested against what they say is his treatment of Ukraine as his own country.President Yushchenko says he wants unity of the Orthodox churches.Moscow arguably wants church unity on its terms.The Russian Orthodox Church, after all, has a powerful role at the heart of Russia, aimed both at strengthening the state, and restoring its influence abroad.