The head of the Russian Orthodox Church...

Yanukovych invited Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia to the inauguration ceremony, triggering criticism from the rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate, which seeks to end the Moscow patriarchy"s control of the church in the country.

Speaking after the prayer at the Kiev Laura, Kirill said Yanukovych would serve Ukraine by helping it "overcome political, historical, cultural and religious discords," and by rebuilding traditional ties with fellow Slavic neighbors.

Kirill appealed to the memory of the Kievan Rus - a medieval Slavonic kingdom seen as the precursor to the modern Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian states.

He also said the three Slavic nations, "parts of a single Holy Rus," must be tied by bonds of friendship, peace and cooperation.

"The Lord wanted the seeds sown here on Kiev"s hills to grow into a giant tree of East European Orthodox civilization," the patriarch said.

Yanukovych, who attended the prayer before being

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