Posted on 05/27/2019 5:54:11 PM PDT by marshmallow
Yekaterinburg, May 27, Interfax - The situation with the construction of the Church of St. Catherine in Yekaterinburg is a challenge, Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye said, according to the local diocese press service.
"The Church is now facing a challenge. That explosion happened in Yekaterinburg. In the same way as shots were fired and the blood of holy imperial martyrs was shed 100 years ago," the metropolitan was quoted as saying after a service in the Verkhoturye St. Nicholas Monastery last Saturday.
"The priest said the people who are now opposing the construction of churches in some cities of the country, who are sneering at Orthodox values are our brothers, our children, who are lost due to not having faith," the press service said.
Mass protests against the construction of the church in the park on Oktyabrskaya Square in downtown Yekaterinburg began on May 13 after the potential construction site was fenced off. A week after protests and detentions, and also the statements made by President Vladimir Putin on the events, Kuivashev asked Yekaterinburg residents to discuss alternative sites for the construction of the church.
On May 20, the Yekaterinburg administration announced a collection of citizens' proposals on possible sites for building the church, which will last ten days. The fence around the public garden was removed.
A poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) shows that 74% of the respondents do not think the park is a good place to build the church.
The Yekaterinburg administration said on May 27 it had received 8,200 proposals from city residents on possible sites for the construction of the Church of St. Catherine over one week. Voting for the site for the new church will be conducted based on those proposals.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said earlier in Strasbourg the Russian Orthodox Church builds on average three churches a day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.