UOC believer: One who rebels against Church cannot be patriot
UOC parishioner Kateryna Yershova explained that a true patriot of the state must, above all, stand with the Church.
During a court hearing in the Upper Lavra case, journalists spoke with Kateryna Yershova, a parishioner of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In the interview, the believer explained to them that true patriotism is inconceivable without faithfulness to the Church and its teachings.
"Anyone who rises up against their own Church cannot be a true patriot. A patriot must first and foremost stand with the Church, because the Church is a mother. For those who have no mother in the Church, God is no Father,” Kateryna Yershova said.
According to her, the main problem of modern society lies in the absence of repentance and the shift of spiritual priorities. Kateryna noted that a person must always put God first, not the national idea.
"I believe that we must love everyone and forgive everyone. We are embittered, we hate – this is not normal. War is an accumulation of evil. When people begin to forgive, repent and try to draw closer to God, then peace will set in," the UOC believer added.
Kateryna Yershova became known in the spring of 2023 during a prayer standing in defense of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. A video in which the young woman prayed sincerely on her knees before the monastery, while aggressive activists danced in a circle around her and mocked her, went around the world and became a symbol of faithfulness to the Church.
As the UOC reported, the secretary of the Rivne Eparchy explained that the UOC is patriotic first and foremost toward Christ.
