Head of the Ternopil RMA promises not to close UOC churches
Vyacheslav Nehoda is convinced that the UOC is connected to "those who bless for war" but he believes it's not only the authorities who should explain this to parishioners.
The head of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration, Vyacheslav Nehoda, stated that the regional government will not close the temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as reported by Ternopoliany website. During a meeting with media representatives, he emphasized that any actions to cease church activities should come from the people themselves, not from government bodies.
"The regional government will probably never agree to close churches... This is not done at my command. Just because I want to write 'prohibit' – it doesn’t work that way!" Negoda noted, adding that it is a matter of citizen awareness.
At the same time, he expressed outrage that some residents of the region continue to attend churches that, in his opinion, are spiritually connected to Russia. "In the conditions of Moscow's aggression, there cannot be a situation where an individual works for this country... They are spiritually connected to those who bless the enemy for war," said the head of the administration.
As reported earlier by the UOJ, the Ternopil RMA is calling for an investigation into the activities of the Pochaiv mayor over the Lavra.