Does the practice of lying to the West about UOC continue?

Forum of religious leaders and authorities with Pastor Burns. Photo: Burns’ Facebook

Over the years of war, we’ve grown used to Ukrainian authorities – along with members of the AUCCRO – shamelessly feeding the West falsehoods about the real state of religious freedom in Ukraine. Their favorite narrative? That violations of religious rights only happen in the Russian-occupied territories, while in “free Ukraine” everyone enjoys peace and liberty. And any testimony about persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? Labeled as “Kremlin propaganda.”

Under President Biden, this narrative was swallowed whole. But with Trump back on the scene, many expected a change in tone. And yet, here we are – watching the exact same charade play out.

At the invitation of Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman, evangelical pastor Mark Burns – often referred to as Trump’s “spiritual advisor” – arrived in Ukraine. And who does Rabbi Azman arrange for him to meet? The very same “religious figures” that the Ukrainian government sent to the U.S. in 2024 to peddle tales of unparalleled religious freedom and justify the banning of the UOC.

From the looks of it, Burns was served the same scripted fairy tales in Kyiv, as he triumphantly declared Ukraine a “beacon of religious freedom” after the meeting. This, while the government and the OCU continue their campaign of pressure and seizure against UOC believers – while the Lavra remains blocked off, thousands of churches have been taken over, and bishops, journalists, and parishioners face criminal prosecution.

When asked in the comments on his Facebook page whether he had met with representatives of the UOC, Burns responded by quoting a certain “Bishop Andriy,” who allegedly said that “it’s the ROC and Russians in the occupied territories” committing these crimes.

This is a clear piece of the false propaganda narrative pushed by the authorities and the AUCCRO: that the UOC supposedly shares the Kremlin’s views and therefore must be eliminated.

Notably, the meeting was coordinated not only by Rabbi Azman, but also by Oleg Havrysh – the chief adviser to the Head of the President’s Office.

Presidents in Washington may change. But the anti-UOC propaganda machine marches on.

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