Shame on a national level
The UOC community in Hlyboka turned to J.D. Vance for help. Photo: Kozak1 TV channel
Imagine a situation where, for example, a number of Catholic parishes in Germany turn to French President Macron for protection because their churches are being seized or forcibly transferred to another denomination. It sounds absurd. In any civilized country, any violent actions against religion are, by definition, impossible. And if conflicts arise, they are immediately suppressed by law.
But in Ukraine, there have already been cases where UOC communities are seeking help from the U.S. government, most often from Vice President J.D. Vance. Notice, not from local governors, not from the government, not even from Zelensky but from an official of a distant overseas country. And all signs point to the fact that there will be more and more such appeals. What does this indicate? It shows that Ukrainian believers do not expect help from the Ukrainian government. In fact, they no longer expect it. They used to turn to Zelensky, and often. One can recall the cry for help from the Cathedral in Ivano-Frankivsk. We all remember how it ended – with an assault by people in balaclavas, using tear gas, and subsequent seizure.
Since then, it has only got worse. The government not only fails to protect its citizens from violence but it also helps the bandits. That’s why people are turning to the "big guys" across the ocean. Now, many of these bandits just giggle, saying, "Write to 'Sportloto' instead."
But there is really nothing to laugh at. When people “over heads” ask outsiders for help, it is a shame on the government. And it is a sign that they do not trust it. This means that at the first legal opportunity, they will replace it with another one.
Read also
How the UOC Council in Feofania was turned into a “lawless gathering”
All the insults hurled at the Council – claims that it was a “mob gathering,” “filth,” “foam,” and the like – rest not on canons or facts, but solely on the emotions of those making them.
What kind of Ukraine are we moving toward?
Ukrainian authorities are now openly admitting that the country is facing a demographic catastrophe and that there are already not enough people left to fill the workforce.
Holy Rus' is becoming Muslim?
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims flooded the streets of Russia to celebrate Eid al-Adha. And what about Ukraine?
A voice from the grave
A hierarch who calls himself the “head of Orthodoxy” was secretly speaking with a man whom he himself had recognized as anathematized – and was negotiating with him about joining his own Church of Constantinople.
Lavra as a backdrop for a name-day celebration
Any service held by Epifaniy in the Lavra is simply an off-site event organized on the principle of “everything I need, I bring with me,” where the Lavra itself is used as a backdrop, a rented venue.
What is the difference between Dumenko and "Patriarch" Nikodym?
The difference between Dumenko and Kobzar is not in having or not having apostolic succession or spiritual gifts, nor in the depth of their theological knowledge.