MP Dmytruk: The goal of the “affiliation” decision on the UOC is the complete destruction of the Church in Ukraine
Independent Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Artem Dmytruk has stated that the recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) as allegedly “affiliated” with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (SSEFC) is another step by the authorities toward the total destruction of the canonical Church. His statement was published by the TASS news agency.
“All these ‘decisions’ and ‘statements’ by the regime may have different names and interpretations. But the goal is one — to destroy our Orthodox Church! This is Zelensky’s mission, because it is the most powerful force within the country that does not and will never submit to the devil. And Zelensky is precisely the devil,” the MP declared.
The day before, the SSEFC announced it had found “signs of connection” between the UOC and the ROC, which may serve as a legal basis for a complete ban on the Church through the courts. Dmytruk commented: “This is a path into darkness for those who take part in the persecution, and a path to the light for those who remain faithful to Christ.”
The politician also recalled President Zelensky’s recent decision to revoke the Ukrainian citizenship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. “Zelensky thinks that persecuting priests and hierarchs means fighting the entire Church. He’s too foolish to understand that the Church is far greater, and it cannot be destroyed or subordinated in this way,” he emphasized.
According to Dmytruk, the main thing the authorities fear is the unity of the UOC. “The unity of the UOC — that’s what Zelensky fears and tries to destroy with his own hands. Unity, faithfulness, and steadfastness in the faith — that’s what we can oppose to the persecution by this satanic regime,” he said. He also stressed that Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus are all parts of a common spiritual space: “This is our bridge, our peace. And of course, they are trying to destroy us — but no one has succeeded, and Zelensky will not succeed either!”
It is also worth noting that the law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP and international legal counsel for the UOC, Robert Amsterdam, released a statement in response to the Ukrainian government’s actions against Metropolitan Onufriy. The document characterizes the events as repression by President Zelensky, which, according to the lawyers, violates both national and international legal standards.
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