Oksana Syroid: Poroshenko requiring OCU to advocate for his re-elections

Poroshenko and Epiphany

The administration of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is calling parishes of the schismatic Ukrainian church, requiring them to advocate for his victory in the presidential elections, Verkhovna Rada Deputy Chairman Oksana Syroid said on the “Verdict” television programme on Espreso.tv.

“I’ve learned today that, as it turns out, the President’s administration is calling churches and telling them how they should pray that the current president would win in the elections,” Syroid said. “That is, they are sending instructions to the churches about how to remember in their homilies.”

When the host asked if this refers to the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” Syroid answered in the affirmative.

The hierarchs and clergy of the schismatic church have already openly thrown their weight behind Poroshenko, as have those of the Ukrainian Uniate church. So, Alexander Dediukhin, after the first round of presidential elections, said: “Now it’s 40/60 in favour of Zelensky, but we will win.” OCU chaplain Dmitry Povorotny on the eve of the election recorded a video message with the title “I am not a clown, and you?”. “Bishop” Gabriel Krizina on his Facebook page said: “The one who has been and will be the President of Christian Orthodox Ukraine is spelled out in the last paragraph of God's Tomos (Poroshenko mentioned there - Ed.).
Ukrainian journalist Alexander Voznesenky has noted that a number of schismatic clergy and bishops wrote messages on social media that whoever voted for Zelensky should leave their friends’ list. As he notes, Uniate clergy and hierarchs are doing the same.

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