Ukrainian media award Dumenko for “virtue”

Epifaniy Dumenko with the winners of the “100 Leaders of Ukraine” nomination. Photo: pomisna.info

On November 22, 2023, "Ukrainska Pravda" held the award ceremony for the "100 Leaders of Ukraine." The head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, topped the rating in the "Society" category, receiving an award for virtue and contribution to the construction of the Ukrainian state.

Organizers noted that after February 24, 2022, Dumenko, who, according to sources from the UOC-KP, fled from Ukraine to Greece, became an example of how a "Ukrainian spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Church should behave in a moment of the country's severe trials."

Assessing Dumenko's merits, organizers also mentioned that in 2019, he faced many difficult tasks, including "struggling for real leadership in the OCU with the previous generation, fighting for the recognition of the new church by world Orthodoxy, and the need to build relations with the authorities to avoid becoming a state church, but also to show that his church is indeed the only Ukrainian and autocephalous one."

The jury evaluated the candidates based on criteria such as contribution to the victory and development of Ukrainian statehood, influence on socio-political processes, leadership, and virtue.

The location of the award ceremony is unknown. Presumably, this is due to the presence of ministers, Ukrainian officials, and the head of the NSDC Oleksiy Danilov at the event. The "UP" website only states that tickets for the ceremony could be purchased for 5,000 UAH.

As reported by the UOJ, the Rada Speaker awarded a satanist magician, picketing the Lavra in the interests of the OCU, with the "Pride and Glory of Ukraine" order.

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