Yelensky claims UOC conceals requirements of his agency from the faithful

Viktor Yelensky. Photo: Radio Svoboda

Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) Viktor Yelensky complained that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not fulfilling directives to eliminate signs of “affiliation with the ROC.” Moreover, he accused the Church leadership of concealing the contents of his agency’s rulings from UOC parishioners. He said this during a Telemarathon broadcast,” reports Radio Svoboda.

The official once again tried to restate the essence of the directive, claiming that the UOC is not being required to renounce Orthodoxy, change its liturgical language, switch to another calendar, join another church, or arbitrarily declare autocephaly.

“Therefore, the faithful of the UOC should know that if these directives are not implemented, it means that their hierarchy, the princes of the Church, their bishops, are pushing them into conflict with the Ukrainian state and Ukrainian society,” he declared.

According to the DESS head, his agency has not yet received an official response from the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. At the same time, he added, the Metropolis has already expressed its intention not to comply with these demands.

Nevertheless, Yelensky said he hopes for the “good will” of the UOC faithful and clergy, who, in his view, “understand the baseness of such a position and cannot remain in unity with murderers.”

Yelensky threatened that if the UOC “does not break relations with the Moscow Patriarchate by August 24, the State Service will file a lawsuit for a complete ban on the UOC.”

As the UOJ previously reported, DESS had required the Kyiv Metropolis to eliminate “violations” by August 18 and published its directive following conclusions about the “presence of signs of affiliation” with the ROC.

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