Crimea to have the same freedom of religion

Church raiding in Cherkasy. Photo: the UOJ

That is, according to Viktor Yelensky, there is no freedom of religion in the Crimea now, but when it is returned to Ukraine, it will appear. In this case, Ukraine is seen by the DESS head as a standard of religious freedom, as he has repeatedly said.

Of course, one can laugh bitterly at this. After all, when the country is preparing to ban the largest religious organisation, when bishops and priests are criminally prosecuted for their religious activities, when those journalists who dared to raise their voices in defence of the Church are behind bars, when hundreds of churches are seized and church property is taken away from its rightful owners, all this is called persecution, not religious freedom.

This is a violation of elementary human rights to freedom of conscience rather than democracy and defence of human rights. And Yelensky, who claims otherwise, looks like a clown since everyone in the world already knows what freedom of religion in Ukraine really is.

However, not much needs to be laughed at. Because to deny the persecution of the Church and at the same time to declare that we have complete freedom has become the official policy of our state.

Our rulers call black white and lies the truth. But these are exactly the situations Isaiah prophesied about.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.! <...> who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, the Lord’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised" (Isaiah 5:20-25).

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