UOC bishop: Church was not destroyed during Soviet Era and won’t be now
Metropolitan Alexy stated that the spiritual life of believers does not cease even after their church is seized.
Metropolitan Alexy of Voznesensk and Pervomaisk, in an interview with Glavcom, noted that attempts to destroy the Church, similar to those made during the Soviet era, continue today but will not succeed. “The Soviet authorities failed; why would it work now?” he concluded.
The UOC hierarch addressed issues troubling believers in the face of modern challenges, including the recently passed law referred to as the “ban on the UOC MP.” He pointed out that this law requires amendments to the statutes of UOC parishes, allegedly linked to the ROC. However, Metropolitan Alexy emphasized that the existing statutes of UOC dioceses and parishes do not mention the term “UOC MP.”
The Metropolitan expressed concern about confrontations over churches, where supporters of the OCU forcibly seize places of worship. However, he stated that even such actions would not deprive believers of the opportunity to pray: “Our communities, whose churches are forcibly taken by OCU supporters, set up huts for holding services. And in those huts, which become their sacred churches, they grow into such a strong spiritual family that nothing can intimidate them anymore.”
When asked if parishes would re-register their statutes, Metropolitan Alexy explained that this is practically impossible due to the lack of state infrastructure: “I arrived in Voznesensk, but there was no state registrar. I called Mykolaiv. Do you know what they told me there? We don’t have a state registrar; you need to go to Kyiv. Justice agencies are not functioning in this area.”
Furthermore, he highlighted the absence of tools to implement the law and stressed that this exacerbates societal tensions: “What’s the goal here? To close the churches like the Bolsheviks did, so no one can pray in them?”
Metropolitan Alexy reminded that any trials, including the current ones, must be viewed in a biblical context: “People have always suffered for their faith – they were killed, their land was taken, their homes were destroyed. This isn’t just happening now but has occurred before. Take, for example, the people of Israel. How many hardships did they endure? That’s why we need to seek answers to these questions in the Bible.”
He is confident that despite the pressure and challenges, the Church will remain a pillar for believers: “Believe me, people will find a place to pray. A person will always have the opportunity to satisfy their spiritual needs. Parishes will remain intact; nothing will change for us.”
As reported by the UOJ, political analyst Kostiantyn Bondarenko believes that faithful people will endure persecution, as they have in history.
