Taksiur: After Pat. Batholomew’s visit, persecution of UOC may increase

Yan Taksiur at the rally of UOC believers along the route of Patriarch Bartholomew’s motorcade in Kyiv. Photo: a screenshot of the video from the "1Kozak" Facebook page.

The writer and publicist Yan Taksiur expects an increase in the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church after the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and his meetings with the Ukrainian authorities. He said this during a Facebook briefing broadcast by 1Kozaktv at the entrance to Kyiv, where UOC believers are holding the action along the route of the motorcade with the Phanar head from Boryspil airport.

Taksiur doubts that the Patriarch of Constantinople will come out to meet with the UOC believers on the way to Kyiv or tomorrow during the prayer standing at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada. But the writer is sure that thanks to this the whole world will know: the head of the Phanar ignored the request to meet thousands of Orthodox Ukrainians. “I don’t think that Bartholomew (Patriarch – Ed.) will stop, and this is not in his rules,” said the publicist. “Tomorrow we will gather near the Rada, where he is going to meet with the speaker Dmitry Razumkov, and we will demand a meeting with him. It is unlikely that he will come out, but then everyone will know that thousands of people came to him and asked for a meeting, but he refused."

The writer and publicist explained his participation in the action at the entrance to Kyiv by the fact that he, like other believers of the UOC, wants to tell Patriarch Bartholomew about the harm that his visit could bring to Orthodox Ukrainians. “We want to say that we have our own canonical Church, and we expect nothing but worry, trouble and problems from Patriarch Bartholomew’s arrival,” said Taksiur. “500 parishes of the UOC have been seized, and this is the result of the activities of Bartholomew I, so we believe that he will cause serious trouble for UOC believers. After his departure and some agreements, the persecution of our Church may increase."

As reported, the NGO "Miriane" held a briefing at the entrance to Kyiv before the arrival of the Phanar head.

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