UOC priest: There is no justification for today's persecution of the faith
Fr. Georgy Boyko. Photo: a video screenshot of the Telegram channel KozakTv1
The rector of the Intercession Church of the UOC in the village of Novi Petrivtsi in the Kyiv region, Fr. Georgy Boyko, said in an interview published on the Telegram channel KozakTv1 that there is no justification for today’s persecutions of faith by Ukrainian authorities.
According to him, Ukraine is experiencing a repetition of the historical era when the Soviet authorities were engaged in Church repressions.
"Unfortunately, it is happening again today. Only now, they have different faces and different masks. Today's oppression and persecution have no justification. It is hard to justify atheists, but they did not believe in God. Today, it seems there are no atheists. Those who stand in churches, who wear vestments and call themselves 'different Churches' are persecutors," Fr Georgy said.
The priest also reminded that a few years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky promised not to interfere in interfaith issues, referring to them as matters of the soul.
"If the President remembered those words, those in power who make decisions would hardly decide to ban the UOC," he added.
As reported, an American human rights activist said he was shocked by the criminal cases against the UOC hierarchs.
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.