U.S. politician criticizing UOC persecution to head Trump’s Department
Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump. Photo: Focus
New U.S. President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, which will be headed by former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and entrepreneur Elon Musk, reports apnews.
Trump stated that Musk and Ramaswamy would collaborate with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to "implement large-scale structural reforms and create an entrepreneurial approach in government like never before." He added that this move would shock government systems.
Vivek Ramaswamy is known for his statements regarding the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During a Republican debate in Miami in November 2023, he stated that Ukraine is not a democratic country because it persecutes Christians. "This is really what's happening. They're doing this to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They've banned them. The Ukrainian parliament just did this last week with our dollars' support," Ramaswamy said, urging his fellow debaters to condemn the Ukrainian authorities "for banning Christianity".
It is worth noting that JD Vance, the U.S. Vice President from Donald Trump's team, has repeatedly condemned the Ukrainian government for its persecution of the UOC. In particular, he stated that if the war leads to the destruction of the Christian community in Ukraine, it would be a shame for the USA.
Read also
In Nikopol, Transfiguration Cathedral damaged by shelling
In Nikopol, a shell damaged the Cathedral of the Transfiguration and the parish library.
TRC abducts UOC archpriest from St. Michael’s Church in Horodyshche
In Horodyshche, Cherkasy Region, staff of the Territorial Center of Recruitment mobilized the rector of a UOC parish and sent him to one of the combat brigades.
Online users mock Education Ministry’s ignorance on church matters
The Ministry of Education claimed that in the 1690s the Ukrainian language was pushed out of liturgical use.
Ukraine is becoming a nation of widows and orphans – CNN
Birthrates have fallen below one child per woman, millions are fleeing abroad, and thousands of children are being left without parents – the war is reshaping an entire nation.
OCU "bishop" bans a “priest” for attempting to transfer to another eparchy
In Rivne Region, a parish of the OCU’s Rivne–Volyn Eparchy voted to move to the Rivne Eparchy.
"Stigmatization based on faith": DESS reprimands TSN for story about Muslims
DESS criticized TSN because "the investigation in the "1+1" news story immediately took on an accusatory bias, and the accused themselves were not given a voice."