Poroshenko: Don’t bear hard on the Church and don’t seize temples
Poroshenko demands not to prescribe to Ukrainians what church they should go
The current President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in the non-face-to-face controversy with Vladimir Zelensky said that the Church serves to unite the country and cannot under any circumstances be “bracketed out”, as his opponent mistakenly does. About this Poroshenko told in the air of the program Freedom of Speech on ICTV channel.
“The main thing is not to exert pressure, not to seize the temples!" urged the current President. “Do not try to speculate with lavras, priests, vladykas.”
According to the President’s deep conviction, it is absolutely unacceptable to impose some Church on the Ukrainians: “Every person, every Ukrainian has his own way to God and one should not impose on people what Church to go to, what temple! People will sort it out without you!”
Petro Poroshenko stated bitterly that if Vladimir Zelensky allowed himself to “bracket out” the army, the language and the Church, then he has to take out of brackets the whole of Ukraine.
Earlier, Poroshenko, who played a major role in the emergence of the OCU, claimed that Ukraine would not worship other gods, was perplexed how Ukrainians can visit the UOC temples, in which “divine service begins with a prayer for Kiril, for Putin, for the Russian army”. The President also said that there is no place for the UOC in Ukraine and that it should "go home to Russia".
Read also
First words and photos after Bishop Arseniy's release published online
The abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, after a year and ten months of imprisonment, offered praise to the Most Holy Theotokos for his release.
In Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi, UOC hierarch reads Great Canon near seized church
Bishop Antony performed the Great Penitential Canon together with believers near a closed church in the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC.
His Beatitude reads third part of Great Canon at St Florus Convent
The Primate of the UOC led the Great Compline with the reading of the Penitential Canon at the St. Florus Convent in Kyiv.
UOC lawyer thanks U.S. politicians for Metropolitan Arseniy’s release
Amsterdam gave special mention to Orthodox public and political figures in the United States who spoke out in defense of the UOC hierarch.
82-year-old UGCC nun killed in Brazil
In Brazil’s state of Paraná, a man broke into a UGCC convent and killed 82-year-old Sister Nadiia Havanska. The tragedy has stirred the Ukrainian community.
MP Mazurashu proposes establishing a Bible Day in Ukraine
MP Heorhiy Mazurashu is proposing to add a Bible Day to Ukraine’s list of commemorative dates, without introducing an additional day off.