Journalist: We have two wars in Ukraine: for our country and for our Church

Speaking at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Germany, Ukrainian Orthodox journalist Ivanna Illina said that not one, but two wars are going on in Ukraine. The journalist posted a video recording of the speech on her Facebook page.

“At the front, courageous soldiers give their lives for their native land, but at the same time, believers who go to pray for them are driven out of churches by their own compatriots, supporters of the OCU,” Ivanna said.

The journalist noted that the forcible seizure of churches is an unacceptable criminal act that violates the Constitution of Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the historical and traditional Church of the Ukrainian people. And She proves it every day. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the UOC has been helping refugees and all those in need. In particular, about 5,000 refugees were received in the Bancheny Monastery alone in the first days of the war. In the Rivne region, where I come from, we have many shelters in churches and monasteries. My Church supplies uniforms to the Ukrainian military. We have created entire departments to sew uniforms for the military. The UOC takes part in the exchange of Ukrainian prisoners. Moreover, there has already been a successful exchange, where the UOC acted as a mediator,” the young journalist told the participants of the Assembly of the WCC.

According to Ivanna Illina, most of the Forum participants were unaware of how strong the inter-confessional conflict in Ukraine is.

“This issue lacks proper coverage. So there are very few of those who immediately understood what it was all about. However, after my speech, a lot of people approached me. Everyone wanted to figure out what was happening and why. They expressed empathy and sympathy. It is difficult for a believer to understand how one can reveal such aggression as to carry out forceful seizures of churches and expel people from their temples,” the journalist told dialogtut.org.

Ivanna Illina is a daughter of journalist Valentina Illina, who was persecuted by the authorities in 2020. Recall that the scandalous official Serhiy Kondrachuk, who was then known for his hatred of the UOC, demanded that the wife of the clergyman not be employed as the editor-in-chief of the Zdolbuniv newspaper.

As reported by the UOJ, Dumenko assured the WCC that its structure does not seize the temples of the UOC.

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