OCU cleric at blessing of Easter baskets: “Ukraine above all!”

OCU cleric M. Bazylko. Photo: Suspilne

A video has circulated online from the city of Podilsk in Odesa region, showing OCU cleric Mykhailo Bazylko shouting in succession “Ukraine above all!” (in the original: “Ukraina ponad use!”) and “Christ is risen!” as he blesses Paschal baskets.

The video was posted on Instagram by a local resident, Natalia Kotovych.

In the comments, many Ukrainians reacted negatively to such exclamations.

“This is the end. My God, what is happening? Lord, forgive us,” wrote Nadezhda Shten.

“I believe that Christ is above all, and only the Lord is above all. These slogans are of no use to anyone. Not to me, and even less to God,” wrote dimon_2009.

“Christ is above all!!!” wrote Valentyna.

“There are many like this in the OCU and among the Uniates. How can anything be ‘above’ the Creator? Even above the life of an individual person? We go on living by slogans… and the crowd likes it – what more do poor people need for happiness,” wrote Andrii Balan.

At the same time, there were also comments in support of the OCU cleric.

“Ukraine truly is above all. Given all the atrocities being committed against our long-suffering Ukraine, if we do not place it above everything, we simply will not survive this hell created for us by the Kirill–Putin mob,” wrote Mykola.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the OCU "priest" had “allowed” parishioners to use a priest’s cassock for sex games.

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