Baumeister: OCU and UGCC never say if authorities are doing something wrong

Andriy Baumeister. Photo: a screenshot from the Shelest's YouTube channel

Famous Ukrainian philosopher Andriy Baumeister stated in an interview with journalist Oleksandr Shelest about the deep decline of Christianity in Ukraine, emphasizing that neither the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) nor the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) are capable of criticizing the actions of the authorities because they are too close to the state and its policies.

Discussing the silence of confessions regarding the LGBT film festival held during Holy Week and Easter, Baumeister noted that, unfortunately, Ukraine cannot be called an Orthodox country because the UOC is pressured by the state, while the OCU and UGCC are too close to the authorities to contradict them.

“I am very skeptical about our Christianity. As a participant in the religious revival of the late 80s – early 90s, I can say that this is a facade. Mostly a facade,” the philosopher emphasized at the beginning of the conversation.

According to Baumeister, most Ukrainians who consider themselves Orthodox would not be able to pass a “basic exam” on the fundamentals of faith, cannot explain what happens during the liturgy, and are not familiar with the text of the Gospel.

Speaking about the OCU, Baumeister characterized it as an organization created under political pressure, which completely excludes the independence of its leadership.

“The OCU, after all, is a state project. And you understand that this church was created under direct political pressure or, to put it simply, it is politics that created the church. It does not allow the leaders of the OCU the freedom to express what they think, to articulate their concerns publicly in any way,” the philosopher noted.

Regarding the UGCC, Baumeister also expressed a critical position: "The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, although it has a long and respected history, is also very closely tied to the political system of the state and the prevailing ideas within it. And if, for example, there are any injustices or violations of fundamental rights, the leaders of this church will never speak out about it."

The philosopher particularly emphasized that “the voice of the Church, representatives of the Church never defends the weak, oppressed, or persecuted,” especially when it comes to those who hold views different from the official ones.

In contrast to the situation with the OCU and UGCC, the philosopher expressed respect for the representatives of the UOC, who “fight quite bravely against obvious rights violations,” despite the fact that the Church is “in disgrace” and subjected to constant searches.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that on Good Friday, an LGBT film festival was opened in Kyiv.

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