UOC priest and combat medic about how many believers support the frontline

Archimandrite Joasaph (Peretiatko). Photo: ukranews

Archimandrite Joasaph (Peretyatko), the abbot of the Transfiguration Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the Kyiv region and a tactical medic, gave an interview to the ukranews publication.

The priest recounted how he became a paramedic and started going to the frontlines to save the lives of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.

"People from our support fund for Ukraine's defenders came and said, 'We know you are an officer and participated in a peacekeeping mission in Iraq (2004 - Ed.). You have combat experience. We need people like you. Would you like to learn practical medicine to save the lives of our soldiers?' I replied, 'Of course. Since you came, it means the Lord sent you to me.' That's how I got involved. I took courses for paramedics and now go on rotations," said Father Joasaph.

In his comments to journalists, the archimandrite emphasized that he considers himself a patriot and proves it through actions, not words.

"There, at the frontline, my main task is to keep people alive, to ensure they return home safely," he asserts.

The UOC clergyman reminded that from the first day of the war, Metropolitan Onuphry openly declared that the Church remains with its people and condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation.

"And our Church does the same: so much volunteer aid has been collected, so many of our parishioners are now fighting, defending Ukraine's independence. If you look at the percentage of our Church's parishioners, it turns out that every second person is either on the frontline or involved in volunteering. Because we want to live and believe in Christ here, on our land, in a free country," concluded Archimandrite Joasaph.

As the UOJ reported, statements by AFU soldiers against the ban on the UOC have surfaced online.

Read also