UOC spokesperson: Any vaccination must be voluntary
Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, deputy head of the DECR UOC. Photo: a screenshot of the video from the Youtube channel "Interfax-Ukraine"
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church stands for voluntary vaccination against coronavirus and other diseases, said Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC, in an interview with publicist Konstantin Matvienko, published on the “Interfax-Ukraine” Youtube channel.
The spokesperson for the UOC noted that the refusal to vaccinate should not lead to the restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens. At the same time, he believes that now there are excesses in Ukraine regarding the possibility of making a voluntary choice for or against vaccination. Also, Father Nikolai said that the information on the composition of the vaccines should be publicly available.
Regarding the influence of the Church on the choice of a person, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich noted that the UOC prohibits priests from interfering in the free choice of parishioners. “A confessor to whom a person confesses or comes to him for advice has no right to prohibit or force vaccinations against coronavirus. This is a matter of a person's personal decision, for which he is independently responsible,” said the UOC spokesperson.
Read also
DESS expert tells US State Department reps about religious freedom in Ukraine
Andriy Smirnov held a meeting with staff of the US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom.
Eight people killed in drone strike on monastery in Ethiopia
Two nuns and six priests were killed in the strike on the monastery; several more people were seriously injured.
Church commemorates St. Seraphim of Sarov
The venerable saint began his path of asceticism after a pilgrimage to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and prayer before the Caves saints.
DESS responds to statements by UOC lawyers
Yelensky’s agency claimed that the UOC’s lawyers are “discrediting” Ukraine’s leadership and spreading “disinformation.”
Lawyers collect statements from faithful to defend Kyiv Metropolia in court
UOC lawyers have prepared a procedure enabling clergy and laypeople to take part in the court proceedings over the DESS lawsuit.
UOC faithful make pilgrimage to Georgia’s holy sites
The pilgrims visited churches and monasteries in Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kutaisi, and at the foot of Mount Kazbek.