Bohdan: We need freedom, not domination and lawlessness of "patriots"
Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience in 2020-2022 Olena Bohdan. Photo: ukranews.com
Olena Bohdan, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience in 2020-2022, believes that Ukraine needs freedom, not domination and lawlessness of "patriots".
In an interview with dialogtut.org, Bohdan said that "while some are holding back from speaking publicly about problems, others in Ukraine believe that in the maelstrom of war tragedies, it is possible to disregard the rule of law, ignore one of the key commandments ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’, humiliate and harass their fellow citizens - and pass it all off as patriotism".
According to her, some Ukrainian citizens "feel no dissonance when priests run for political parties and chair the land commission in local government".
"And really, is it so hard to think about soul-pastoral care, liturgy and... sharing land with pine trees near Kyiv at the same time? And is anyone embarrassed by the pre-election photo where the priestly vestments are coupled with the name of a political party?" asks Olena Bohdan.
She is sure that "today, further silence is already felt as a harm to one's country, not as a concern for it." Moreover, she says, "When we make no effort to overcome the stupidity and dishonesty in our society, we become their silent accomplices."
"What we need in Ukraine is freedom and truth under the blue-and-yellow flag, not domination by people who, playing on the patriotic feelings of Ukrainians exhausted and wounded by war, fill our country with lies and legal outrage," the former head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience stressed.
She believes that the conflict situations around churches should be returned to an adequate legal field, as this is "one of the steps to bring Ukrainian Orthodoxy into a reality where truth and law, real rather than seeming patriotism, matter, and this, in turn, is an integral part of national security".
As earlier reported, Olena Bohdan believes that the UOC will not strengthen national security if it leaves the Lavra.
Read also
Met. Varsonofiy сelebrates Liturgy at persecuted UOC parish in Stryzhavka
A UOC hierarch officiated the Nativity service and offered prayers for peace in Ukraine.
Seized Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr transferred from UOC to OCU control
Huz stated that after being handed to the OCU, the Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr will be “Ukrainian and alive”.
In Brussels, Cardinal Parolin urges Europe to remember its Christian roots
The Vatican Secretary of State spoke at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula on the occasion of its eight-hundredth anniversary and recalled Europe’s spiritual mission.
388 mln Christians face persecution and discrimination over faith – report
The organization Portes Ouvertes has published research findings concluding that pressure on believers worldwide has intensified.
Archbishop of Albania: Orthodoxy is a key pillar of Albania’s European path
During a visit to Brussels, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church underscored the importance of Orthodoxy for the country’s integration into the EU and for maintaining interreligious balance in society.
His Beatitude leads divine service at Lavra on Circumcision of the Lord feast
During the festive service at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, special prayers were offered for peace on the Ukrainian land and for God’s blessing upon the new year.