SIMFEROPOL, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who is in Ukraine on a 10-day visit, has arrived in the Crimean city of Simferopol.
Earlier on Friday, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and all Ukraine and other Ukrainian Orthodox Church representatives arrived in the Crimea. They met Patriarch Kirill, who then headed for the St. Trinity Monastery in central Simferopol.
Kirill said his visit to the Crimea was aimed at praying together with believers.
"I came to the Crimea to pray together with you asking the Lord to grant us all peace and strength of soul," he said in the monastery.
The Russian patriarch then released white doves into the sky.
"It is pleasant to arrive on the soil of Crimea, that has been decorated with hundreds of churches in recent years, with monasteries and a large number of new clergy."
He expressed his joy at the chance to share prayers with Ukrainians. Metropolitan Lazarus of Simferopol and the Crimea said that a Russian patriarch had not stepped onto Crimean soil for over 400 years.
Patriarch Kirill also consecrated the dome crosses of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral being built in central Simferopol.
On Tuesday, the Russian patriarch called for the reunification of Orthodox believers in Ukraine.
Ukraine is a predominantly Orthodox country, but the Orthodox Church in the ex-Soviet state split in the 1990s. The larger branch of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, which has 10,000 parishes in the country, is loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Ukrainian Orthodoxy has split in three with Ukraine's Moscow Patriarchate becoming a self-governing but subservient part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union, is not recognized in Eastern Orthodoxy. The third church, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, originally formed in 1920s, and operates almost exclusively in the western part of the country.
The tour of Ukraine is the longest foreign trip so far by Patriarch Kirill, who was elected to replace the late Alexy II in February.
Prince Vladimir baptized medieval Kievan Rus 1,021 years ago.
