Why are some "patriots" and others "traitors"?
Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the UOC in Khmelnytskyi. Photo: suspilne.media
This "new evidence" was a documentary film titled "Hollow Church of Ukraine: What Happens to Seized UOC Temples", which clearly showed that churches seized from the UOC remain closed, and if "services" are held, they have very few believers. The SBU announced this "new evidence" and again reminded that those involved in the criminal case face life imprisonment.
At the same time, the media resource "33 Channel" posted a video on YouTube titled "Some Parishioners of the Church of the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God (OCU) Want to Change Their Rector", which claims the exact same thing: that when the church was under the UOC, services were frequent, but after it transferred to the OCU, services are rare, even on widely celebrated holidays. Parishioners in the video talk about how the current rector, "Father Ivan", neglects his duties, misses services, doesn't open the church, and so on, which has been ongoing for more than a year.
Meanwhile, the former rector, according to parishioners, was dedicated to the church and congregation, served every Saturday and Sunday, as well as on all holidays, the church was always open, and parishioners could always approach the pastor with their concerns. Parishioners complained about "Father Ivan" to the head of the Khmelnytskyi diocese of the OCU, Pavlo Yuryisty, and asked to replace the rector, but he responded that "Father Ivan" is very patriotic, "ppo-Ukrainian", has extensive pastoral experience, and there is no reason to replace him.
It all looks like an internal conflict between the community and the "priest", but the fact is that this church was seized from the UOC in April 2023 and transferred to the OCU against the will of the majority of parishioners. So, the "33 Channel" video claims the same thing as the documentary "Hollow Church of Ukraine..." Why doesn't the SBU search "33 Channel"? Why don't they declare this film "evidence" of state treason, arrest its creators, and threaten them with life imprisonment? The answer is simple: because it's absurd. But why then is it not absurd when it comes to Orthodox journalists and instead seen as "exposing an FSB agent network under cover"? Why are Orthodox journalists persecuted for the same journalism that other media resources practice, for the same facts, and the same messages?
We must agree that until these questions are answered in Ukraine, we are unlikely to become a free and prosperous state.
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