A UOC representative in Berlin told about standpoint of the canonic Church in Ukraine on a military conflict in the East.
Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church protopriest Mykolay Danylevych was on a delegation of All-Ukrainian Church and Religious Organizations Council (ВРЦіРО) in Berlin from June 29th to July 3rd as is reported by the press service of the UOC Department for External Church Relations.
One of the missions of the Ukrainian delegates’ visit to Berlin was to offer by the Ukrainian religious community a vision of the ways to overcoming an armed conflict in Ukraine and a presumable role of churches in this process.
Inter alia, Ukrainian guests had a talk with the members of Stephen Protomartyr Group of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union faction of the German Bundestag. The Group which comprises nearly 80 members of the Parliament is engaged in fighting against persecutions of the faithful, first and foremost – in defense of Christians against persecutions.
In his speech protopriest Mykolay Danylevych told about the UOC vision of the situation in Ukraine. The priest underscored, in particular, that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is opposed instrumentalization of religion or, in other words, using a religious factor in a political conflict by either of the parties. According to the priest, the Church must not act as a religious addendum to the political ideology of whichever state. The Church cannot call for war; the Church must call for peace and reconciliation, even though the society is not willing or not ready to listen to it. As an example, the UOC representative remembered about Robert Schumann, French diplomat of German origin and Jerzy Giedroyc, Polish activist who both as far back as WWII plead European nations and the society at large for reconciliation. According to historians, although Jerzy Giedroyc’s close friends were supportive of his position, the society of that time turned their backs on him and rejected his ideas. After a while Europe not only got reconciled but even united. Thus, how much more so the Church has to continually speak about peace, even though the Church’s vocal words of peace might fall on deaf ears.
