OCU calls cross processions of UOC as "undermining peace in Ukraine"
Spokesman of the OCU Ivan (Eustratiy) Zoria. Photo: religionpravda.com.ua
"Hierarch" Ivan (Eustratiy) Zoria hopes that the Ukrainian authorities are doing their job with regard to "all these pro-Moscow events" so that they do not lead "to something worse." This is how the spokesman of the OCU answered the question of an Ukrinform journalist about religious processions and public appeals of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As Zoria noted, “we’ve seen what such supposedly religious events can lead to: what happened to Crimea, what happened to a part of Donbas.”
“The state cannot bring people to justice for their own convictions. But if they take actions, especially in cooperation with the Russian special services, with the aggressor country, aimed at undermining our state, our society, undermining peace in Ukraine, of course, this has a completely different qualification and those endowed with the appropriate rights by the people and the law should respond to this," said the spokesman of the OCU.
He stated that in recent months the state "has become quite active in this direction" and recalled the narrative of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov, who "quite explicitly spoke about the fact that the environment of the Moscow Patriarchate and the structure of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine are also used to destabilize the situation in our state.”
“I hope that those concerned are doing their job so that all these pro-Moscow events, all these calls in the spirit of the ‘Russian world’ would not lead to something worse,” concluded the “hierarch” of the OCU.
Let us remind you that earlier NSDC Secretary Danilov called the processions of the UOC “an effective instrument of the Russian hybrid war” and warned the organizers of peace forums about criminal responsibility. Experts believe that such groundless statements by an official in a state governed by the rule of law would entail his resignation.
Read also
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.
During Ramadan, Patriarch Theodoros hosts Islamic iftar at his residence
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria hosted a meal for Muslim workers breaking their fast in the courtyard of the Patriarchate and thanked a sheikh for his “brotherhood.”
Lawsuit filed against Patriarch of Constantinople
A Turkish official has accused Patriarch Bartholomew and dozens of clergy of “illegal activity” and violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
OCU cleric buried with Church Slavonic funeral shroud
In the Ternopil Eparchy of the OCU, a cleric was buried under a funeral shroud bearing inscriptions in Church Slavonic.