Romanian MP: What the Ukrainian authorities do with UOC is complete madness
Member of the Romanian Parliament Dumitru-Viorel Focsa. Photo: romania.postsen.com
Dumitru-Viorel Focsa, member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament, sharply condemned the actions of the Ukrainian authorities aimed against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“The OCU is Poroshenko’s political move that Zelenskyy took over; an artificially created 'church' that received the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, which caused a lot of confusion in Ukraine,” the politician said in a video posted on his Facebook page. “The priests of the UOC are subordinate to Metropolitan Onuphry and in no way intend to go over to the OCU. Since the OCU has the support of the President, armed people and SBU officers come to the temples of the UOC with searches and threats, instill fear in the priests, forcibly undress them and take pictures. This is complete madness!"
The MP noted that "the blessing of Bartholomew sowed great discord, and Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) speaks very harshly in his sermons about the actions of the patriarch."
The parliamentarian stressed that the clergy of the Romanian Orthodox communities, which are in the bosom of the UOC, are under pressure from the authorities: “The priest who told us about what is happening in the Chernivtsi region, an ethnic Romanian, is very scared. <...> What Zelenskyy is doing is called denationalization. Romanian priests are being terrorized and forced to leave the autonomous canonical church of Ukraine and enter a new political ‘church’."
As the UOJ reported, earlier on the air of the Romania TV channel, the Romanian ex-deputy Gelu Visan spoke about "the crimes that the Ukrainian authorities commit against the ministers of the Lord."
Read also
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.
Archbishop John: The Church is not a special group – it is open to everyone
The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Albania explained why the Church cannot shut itself off from people and what danger arises when believers begin to feel that it is “ours.”
Shostatsky: We have a real personnel shortage in the OCU
Metropolitan Simeon (Shostatsky) said that OCU clerics have to travel to as many as five parishes over a weekend so that believers are not left without services.