Uniate priest who called for reconciliation suspended from ministry

Fr Roman Kurakh. Photo: a screenshot from the YouTube channel "Potribna Rozmova"

The press service of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese reported that Roman Kurakh, a priest of the Uzhhorod Cathedral, who prayed for the reconciliation of the "great nations of Ukraine and Russia", has been punished and suspended from service. The announcement was posted on the diocese's website.

The statement says, “In the words of Fr Roman, there is a call to prayer that the Lord will reconcile the two "great peoples". In the context of a devastating war, such a remark carries the risk of being associated with propaganda narratives about "brotherly peoples" that, unfortunately, exist in some churches affiliated with the RF.”

The administration states that Kurakh's call to pray to God for reconciliation are his personal opinion and not the position of the diocese. The priest has been suspended from service. He will "bear appropriate disciplinary responsibility according to church canons".

The specific canons that entail responsibility for evangelical appeals were not specified by the diocese.

The diocesan administration called on journalists "not to allow propagandistic media resources to turn the scandalous precedent into a 'desire for reconciliation' position of our priests."

As reported, a Uniate priest was hated for his words about the reconciliation of Ukrainians and Russians.

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