Met. Hilarion: Renaming the UOC is like Jewish badges in Holocaust
Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not the Russian Church, it is the Ukrainian Church, stressed the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the ROC Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, reports "Interfax".
In his opinion, renaming the UOC into the Russian Church means “marking the Church as an enemy organization”, and it is for this purpose that the relevant bills are being created.
According to him, the Ukrainian authorities want to completely seize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, "they want to outlaw it".
Met. Hilarion explained that the UOC believers "consider themselves Ukrainians, they are patriots of their country".
As the UOC reported, earlier political expert Viacheslav Pikhovshek stated that renaming the UOC into the Russian Orthodox Church is an attempt to create an “internal enemy” in Ukraine, and will give rise to harassment.
Read also
Most Britons oppose abortions, poll finds
The survey found that 62% of UK residents support legal protection for unborn children from the moment their heartbeat is first detected.
Annual academic conference opens at Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary
The fifteenth annual conference was dedicated to the anniversaries of Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrožský and Metropolitan Rafail (Zaborovský).
Feminists attack Roman Catholic churches in Latin America
During protest actions, members of radical groups attacked cathedrals in several Latin American countries, assaulted police officers, and threw paint at believers.
UOC hierarch takes part in German bishops’ conference
Bishop Veniamin of Boyarka took part in the OBKD assembly in Düsseldorf.
Ivano-Frankivsk scraps school project planned on demolished UOC church site
The authorities in Ivano-Frankivsk have dropped plans to build the school for whose construction a UOC church was demolished.
Shostatsky to UOC: If you are so righteous – do not cling to your churches
The OCU metropolitan called on UOC faithful and clergy to pray rather than defend their churches from seizures.