The pressure from the authorities is considered a consequence of deception of voters who cast their votes for president - hierarch of the UOC

Metropolitan Yevlogiy (Hutchenko) of Sumy and Akhtyr has spoken about his attitude to the events taking place around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The hierarch believes that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, fraudulently took his position, because a significant number of his voters are believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He shared this in an interview with the Glavkom publication.

«Vladimir Zelensky during the election campaign repeatedly emphasized his neutral attitude to issues related to religion. This position inclined the choice of many Orthodox believers to the decision to vote for him. But now we witness that the head of Ukraine has radically changed his attitude towards Orthodox believers. We consider the pressure from the state authorities as a consequence of deception of voters who cast their votes for the president, who declared his neutrality in matters of religious life», — argues the bishop.

Nevertheless, according to Metropolitan Yevlogy, the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not change their attitude to their civic duties, taking an active part in the public life of the country from the first days of the war.

«At the same time, I would like to note that the confrontation on the part of the authorities has not changed our attitude to civic duty and the desire to take care of our fellow citizens. Thus, Sumy diocese from the very beginning of the war systematically provides charitable assistance to the military, cares for civilians affected by the war, prays for the living and the dead, provides pastoral care to the injured», — Metropolitan noted.