PCU lobbyist: Territorial communities have the right to decide the confessional affiliation of UOC churches

Doctor of Philosophy and religious scholar Liudmyla Filipovych has said that the issue of confessional affiliation of churches, in particular of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, can and should be decided by the entire territorial community, not only by parishioners. The expert voiced her position on the air of Channel 5, commenting on the situation with the UOC churches in Cherkasy.

The reason for the discussion was the statement of the mayor of Cherkassy Anatoliy Bondarenko, who explained the preservation of two churches under the jurisdiction of the UOC by the «deficiency of the community». Answering the question about the role of citizens in this process, Filipovich emphasized that the decision on the fate of such churches should be made collectively by all residents living in the area.

«I think the community — you know, not just the church community. After all, the Church is not disconnected from society. If you have a parish, you are in a city, you have a temple, you somehow influence those residents around that temple,» the expert explained. According to her, public hearings can be held to make decisions.

Ludmila Filipovich added that the community has the right not to want the presence of a church on their land, «which does not meet their expectations and does not correspond to their perspective plans.» Concluding her thought, she expressed a categorical position: «If you are a Russian church, then you have no place in Ukraine. You have a huge territory — the Russian Federation».

We will remind, earlier Lyudmila Filipovych made a high-profile proposal to dismantle the churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and transport them to the territory of the Russian Federation. On the air of Channel 5, she also made harsh statements against the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, suggesting that they «clear their brains».