Metropolitan Anthony: Local authorities continue to lobby interests of OCU

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich). Photo: UOC

While the President of Ukraine and the central government declare the principle of separation of the Church from the state and the equality of all faiths, many representatives of local authorities continue to violate it in a flagrant and outspoken manner, lobbying for the interests of one particular denomination. Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, the UOC Chancellor, wrote about on his Facebook page.

"Another example of this is the activity of the Department of Education and Science of the Poltava Regional State Administration, which is actively promoting the project of the public organization ‘Institute of Political, Legal and Religious Studies’ to hold a competition of creative works ‘The path of formation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ on the Independence Day of Ukraine," the hierarch explained. “With the support of the administrative resource, in particular, heads of educational administrative bodies, heads of methodological offices of districts, cities, united territorial communities, and directors of general secondary education institutions of regional subordination are involved to ensure the implementation of this event.”

Vladyka noted that this is not a single case: information on the competition is available on the websites of a number of regional and district state administrations and state higher educational institutions, “besides the fact that the organizers of the event openly indicate direct support of their initiative from one of the structures of ‘OCU’.”

“How all this relates to the principle of separation of the Church from the state is personally hard for me to say,” the hierarch added. “It seems that some officials and local authorities, ignoring the provisions of the Constitution, persistently continue to lobby for the interests of one particular denomination by attributing it the status of ‘state church’, which is a direct challenge to religious equality in the country."

According to the head of the UOC Chancellor, the problem is not confined only to the regional level.

“Similar cases occur in the national context,” he said. “Let’s at least recall the recent situation with the broadcast of Easter Liturgy on the public channel "UA: Pershy". The channel, which is supported by taxpayers' money (including parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church), simply ignored the festive service of our Church, the largest denomination in the country. Moreover, none of the representatives of UA: Pershy even bothered to contact our Church and offer us to take part in the broadcast. Although, as I have already indicated, this is a public channel and it does not have the slightest right to discriminate against any group of Ukrainian society.”

In this regard, the hierarch emphasized: it is important that the principles enshrined in the Constitution in Ukraine are not simply declared but properly implemented.

“The law should be one for all. Since if there is a reality in which someone becomes more equal than others, we will never be able to build a state with the rule of law,” Met. Anthony noted. “However, we, as Christians, should not be discouraged. After all, as St. John Chrysostom said, ‘it is better to endure an untruth than to cause it, since for those who endure an untruth, the judgment of God is a blessing’."

As reported by the UOJ, Ukrainian schoolchildren and students are offered to write an essay on the formation of the OCU. The competition of creative works, organized by the Institute of Political, Legal and Religious Studies, is dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine.

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