Lomachenko: For me, the Church is the mother without whom we will perish

Vasyl Lomachenko. Photo: facebook.com/VasylLomachenko

The world-famous Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko said in an interview with the UOJ that the normal reaction of any person during the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is to stand up in defence of the Church.

Answering the question of why he, despite the hate in the media continues to support the Church, Lomachenko said that he has decided on the truth, so he tries to do everything possible to protect the UOC.

"The reaction of any Orthodox person is to stand up for it. <...> If your parents are insulted and humiliated, the normal reaction of any person is to stand up for defence. And he will defend, not sparing his life. He will stand up for his parents. In the same way for me the Church, the temple, and the Orthodox faith. This is our Mother, without whom we will simply perish," he said.

Lomachenko also thanked the UOC believers who continue to defend the temples from seizures, risking their lives and freedom.

"Compared to how people defend the Orthodox Church (I track on the Internet), compared to how they are persecuted, how they suffer .... Just because I make some posts or speak out in some way, I don't consider it a serious support," he added.

As reported, Lomachenko said how he feels about the persecution of the UOC and how he sees the Church in the future.

 

Read also

DESS: The number of communities joining OCU in 2024 is half of last year’s

Over a year, 232 communities of the UOC changed their jurisdiction.

Scale of internal damage to UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia shown online

The video allows viewers to assess the damage endured by the main Orthodox church of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia.

Ex-MP UOC protodeacon Novinsky declared suspicion of high treason

The former MP is accused of "ensuring that a significant part of Ukrainian society, who are believers of the UOC, remain under the direct influence of the leader of the ROC".

St Andrew’s icon survives under the rubble of UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia

The icon was painted by nuns of the St Nicholas Monastery in Patras (Greece) and consecrated on the relics of St Andrew the Apostle.

RF missile strike destroys St Andrew's Cathedral of UOC in Zaporizhzhia

The fragments damaged the roof of the building, dome, ceilings, cut windows and disfigured classrooms.

Media shows conditions in which persecuted communities of Volyn have to pray

After their churches were seized, UOC faithful are compelled to pray in poorly equipped facilities.