Dumenko: If polls indicate there’s no persecution – then there is none

Head of the OCU Epifaniy Dumenko. Photo: Screenshot from the Suspilne Ternopil YouTube channel

The head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, stated that freedom of religion in Ukraine is at a high level, as confirmed by sociological surveys. He shared this in an interview with the "We-Ukraine" TV channel.

“The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches has repeatedly declared that in Ukraine, despite being in a state of war, the level of freedom of religion is very high. Perhaps there is no such level in other countries, even in Europe or America. According to the latest sociological surveys, Ukrainians affirm that there is no persecution in Ukraine. But they [the UOC] need to create a picture,” the head of the OCU said.

According to Dumenko, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) “create this picture” for Russian propaganda.

“Unfortunately, as we see, provocations sometimes occur, but these are artificially created provocations to present an image to the outside world, to claim that there is persecution in Ukraine. In reality, this is not the case,” said the OCU leader.

He also noted that the majority of parish transitions to the OCU take place peacefully. “If the community makes a decision and 90% are in favor, a few people may oppose. However, those who oppose are often very active and create problems. This is a process; it’s human nature, and unfortunately, such unpleasant incidents occasionally happen,” Epifaniy concluded.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Dumenko had earlier explained the seizure of churches as resulting from the UOC’s unwillingness to engage in dialogue with the OCU.

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