OCU: "Our struggle is not against UGCC and Shevchuk but against RF"

Serhii Dumenko. Photo: OCU

The press service wrote a text in the style of "guys, let's live in harmony" and emphasized that they perceive Shevchuk's words not as criticism, but as a "Gospel warning that should unite, not divide."

However, Dumenko's Gospel seems to be somewhat unconventional. The OCU believes that Christ unites only within state borders. Therefore, they suggest not to quarrel, but to unite against an external enemy.

"The real enemy is not another denomination, not another region, not another tradition. The real enemy is the Russian aggressor who wants us to fight among ourselves while he destroys our homes, our shrines, our people," assured Dumenko.

If we recall whom a Christian should consider an enemy and against whom to fight, it would be something like this: "Our struggle is not against the UGCC and Shevchuk but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world rulers of the Russian Federation."

Interestingly, in another publication dedicated to the Kyiv mosque affected by Russian shelling, Dumenko expresses support for Muslims: "We are together with our brothers and sisters Muslims, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants."

Now let's remember that the UOC has more than 350 churches damaged or destroyed by shelling. Did Dumenko ever express support? Not once. It turns out to be a paradoxical situation: the OCU supports Ukrainian Muslims or Jews but ignores the suffering of Orthodox Ukrainians from the UOC due to Russian shelling. At the same time, the OCU assures that "another denomination" in Ukraine is not their enemy, and the "real enemy" from Russia provokes battles between denominations.

So if you understand that intra-Ukrainian religious wars benefit the Russian Federation, why are you destroying the UOC? It seems that Dumenko has no answer to this question simply because there is no reasonable logic in their actions. And even more so, there is no Gospel logic.

However, in relations with the UGCC, the logic is obvious: it is a classic tactic of the weak cozying up to the strong. The obsequious tone of addressing the Uniates may indicate that the OCU foresees political changes and seeks to insure themselves by securing Shevchuk's support.

But will it help? In politics, the weak have never been respected.

Read also