Clergy of the OCU outraged by the LGBT parade in downtown Kyiv and propose holding it in Donbass

Clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine expressed outrage over the LGBT events held at Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. They fear that such proximity may create a wrong impression that the OCU supports these events. One of the signatories, «chaplain» Roman Gryshchuk, called for moving the LGBT parade from Kyiv to other cities, such as Pokrovsk or Kostiantynivka. In his Facebook post, he shared the text of another OCU cleric, Andrii Holovkov, who expressed his disapproval of the events being held near the OCU Cathedral.

Holovkov wrote: «Why not under Pokrovsk? Or better yet, hold the LGBT parade in Kostiantynivka! How does our nation expect God’s support and victory when ‘abomination in the eyes of God’ is allowed with the support of Kyiv City Administration and the silent consent of the majority, once again organizing the LGBT parade. And where? Of course, they allowed it to be held at Mykhailivska Square, near the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral of the OCU and the memorial wall for the fallen.»

A representative of the OCU also expressed the opinion that such events «play into the hands of the enemy» and contradict the moral values of Ukraine: «These images from Kyiv are shown in the Senate and Congress of the USA, where the majority of Republicans say: ‘Here is Russia with traditional values, and here is Ukraine with LGBT parades, who do you want to help?’ And, of course, in the eyes of the Republican Party, Russians look better, and we lose support.»

It is also worth noting that the OCU protested against the LGBT event on June 7 near the walls of its cathedral in Kyiv. In the statement, the metropolitanate emphasized that the choice of location and timing of the event, near the St. Michael’s Cathedral and on the eve of the Pentecost celebration, is seen as a «deliberate cynical anti-church provocation.»