Commentary of Archbishop Feodosiy, Chairman of the Church Court of the Kiev Diocese (Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate), about the State interference into Church Affairs.

January 12, 2019 – The state began to gradually shift from intimidation of believers to repression against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church[note]Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is an autonomous orthodox Church with headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine.[/note]. This was said by Archbishop Theodosius of Boyarka on January 10 in an interview with the portal Orthodoxy.Ru.

“From searches and interrogations they have turned to specific actions,” the hierarch explained. “The first anti-church law No. 5309 was adopted and signed by the President (Petro Poroshenko – editor’s note) entered into the force; serial seizures of temples were commenced. The scheme of seizures is purely raider: they bring their people to the village by buses, organize with their participation and under the supervision of the authorities “an assembly of the religious community”, and everything is presto. Believers are thrown onto the street, while the legal authority of the parish and the church building are transferred now to the OCU.”

Vladyka Theodosius recalled that the authorities intend to adopt Bill No. 4218 and it is unlikely that anyone will be able to interfere.

“The Church belongs to those in power,” noted Archbishop Theodosius, “True though it looks like medieval Europe… In the media, there is information that the distribution list was forwarded from the top into the districts regarding how many churches must be pointedly “seized” from believers in favor of the “Tomos”. In addition, the reserves, on the balance of which are complexes of the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras, were obliged to file applications to the court and through court to cancel long-term lease agreements with the monastic communities of these monasteries. The only condition is to do it quietly so that Istanbul does not get scared ahead of time.”

According to the hierarch, the authorities’ hatred of the canonical Church is caused by the fact that the UOC is the last public institution in Ukraine that does not lie.

“The Church can keep silence. She may just not say anything. But She will never lie; the powers cannot accept that. They need a “church” that will approve everything, justify everything, explain any ugliness with high meanings, and stupefy people. After all, when you live in the kingdom of crooked mirrors, where mirrors deceive and flatter those who look in them, where everything is in pink light, and black is reflected in white, freaks are seen as handsome, and frogs as princesses – in such a kingdom there is no place for a real ordinary mirror. After all, it may display an unpleasant truth, as it is. And if a real mirror is suddenly discovered, they are either trying to hide it away or simply break it. This is what we are living through now,” concluded Archbishop Theodosius.

Photo documents from the pravoslavie.ru

 

Sources:

  1. Union of Orthodox Journalists: “Abp. Theodosius: Power is moving from intimidation to repression of the UOC”
  2. pravoslavie.ru: “About the Future of Orthodoxy in Ukraine and in the world. Interview with archbishop Feodosiy (Snigiryov)”

Related Cases:

Jan. 2, 2019 –  The Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO), Chief Rabbi of Ukraine believes that with the adoption of Law No. 5309, no religion in Ukraine can feel protected from state interference.

Dec. 28, 2018 –  Mayor Michel Tereshchenko interferes into the internal Church relations

Dec. 28, 2018 – The position of the representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) to European International Organizations on the Ukrainian law on renaming religious organizations

Dec 25, 2018 – The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is set to challenge the discriminatory law in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

Dec. 24, 2018 – The Deputy Head of the Department of External Church Relations (Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate) emphasizes that Law No. 5309 artificially makes the believers of Ukraine strangers in their own country.

Dec. 20., 2018 – The Law Department of the UOC appealed to President Poroshenko request to veto bill No 5309, as it discriminates millions of believing citizens of Ukraine on the religious ground

Dec. 20, 2018 – Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) believers start prayerful standing outside the Verkhovna Rada as a protest against the possible adaptation of anti-church bills

Dec. 20, 2018 – The Verkhovna-Rada have adopted anti-church bill No 5309.