By Kostas Onisenko
For the second year in a row, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine is the religious leader who inspires great confidence in Ukraine, according to a large pan-Ukrainian survey conducted by the Razumkov Analytical Center.
The research was published yesterday and has many interesting facts, such as the fact that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is much more accepted in Ukraine – as a religious leader – than Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
Metropolitan Epifaniy enjoys the confidence of 44.3% of Ukrainians, which is the largest percentage among the country’s religious leaders. In fact, this percentage has increased by 1% compared to last year’s corresponding survey. At the same time, the high level of trust in Metropolitan Epifaniy is observed in all regions of the country (mostly in western Ukraine).
According to the survey, Orthodox Christians make up 62.3% of the country.
Also:
9.6% state Greek-Catholics
8.9% “just Christians”
1.5% state Protestants
1.2% state Roman Catholics,
0.5% state Islamists
0.3% Buddhists
While 15.2% does not identify itself as a follower of any particular religion.
At the same time, it is interesting that in the same research it is noted that the Ukrainians trust the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew much more than Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
And this at a time when the communication war of the Russian Church in Ukraine against the Ecumenical Patriarchate is escalating.