Police in Kiev detained eight Ukrainian ultranationalists who took part in an unauthorized rally today (July 26, 2010) to protest a visit to the city by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Ukraine on a pastor's visit on July 20, and will be in Kiev until July 28, according to the RIA Novosti (Russian) website.
Kiev's district administrative court banned the ultranationalist Svoboda (Freedom) Party from holding a protest rally in front of St. Sofia Cathedral, where Patriarch Kirill held a prayer service today, but several dozen members defied the ban.
The Orthodox Church in Ukraine split in 1992, following the breakup of the Soviet Union into followers of the Moscow Patriarchate and those seeking an independent church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is recognized worldwide, while the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate is not.
In his sermon today at St. Sofia Cathedral, Patriarch Kirill called on the independent Ukrainian Church to unite with the Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
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