Patriarch Kirill's problematic journey to Western Ukraine

Sevastopol, August 2 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian President's office on Sunday prevented Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who is visiting Ukraine, from going to Rovno, a city in the West of the country, pleading security considerations.

"The authorities said the reason was security. The leadership of the office of [Ukrainian President] Viktor Yuschenko told us that for reasons of security we would have to change the route of the Patriarch's pastoral trip," Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations told Interfax-Religion.

"We don't know who is plotting any provocations in Rovno or whether there are any provocations being plotted by dissenters or any political groups anyway," Archbishop Hilarion said.

Earlier on, the Ukrainian government advised to Patriarch Kirill to avoid visiting Rovno but the Patriarch insisted that he wished to go and asked for arrangements to be made for such a trip, the Archbishop said. "However, today we were told that it was impossible to fly to Rovno and that the plane would land in Kiev," he said.

Archbishop Hilarion deplored the fact that Kirill's planned meeting with Rovno Orthodox community had not materialized. "His Holiness wanted to visit Rovno very much, and he hopes that his desire to meet with the flock of that city will come true," the Archbishop said.

Rovno, August 2 (Interfax) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who is currently visiting Ukraine, "expresses extreme regret" that Ukrainian authorities prevented him from going to the city of Rovno on Sunday, allegedly for security reasons, and "expresses hope that he will be able to visit Rovno in the near future," a Church spokesman said.

Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Church delegation he leads have received "multiple and persistent recommendations from the secretariat of the Ukrainian President that they avoid going to Rovno for security reasons," Moscow Patriarchate spokesman Vladimir Legoyda told reporters.

"Despite the Patriarch's great desire to visit his flock in Rovno, it was decided today to fly to Kiev," he said.

Patriarch Kirill had planned to proceed to Rovno from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol but instead flew to Kiev as the Rovno administration had reportedly refused to host him.

A group of Russian journalists accompanying the Patriarch on his tour of Ukraine is currently at Rovno airport.

A reporter for the Interfax-Religion who is in this group said there were no more people at the airport currently than apparently there are normally and that there were no signs of any anti-Russian protests having been plotted. There was a large portrait of Patriarch Kirill hanging at the entrance to the waiting room.

Rovno, August 3 (Interfax) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has left the Holy Trinity Monastery in the town of Korets, the Rovno Region, and he is currently heading to the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Rovno.

The Patriarch's visit to Rovno was cancelled on Sunday following the Ukrainian authorities' recommendations citing security concerns.