The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture demanded that the UOC “decommunize” Alexander Nevsky

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture decided that it has the right to censor the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the right to decide who can be a saint for it and who should be consigned to oblivion.

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Ukrainian journalist Vyacheslav Pikhovshek reported this on his blog.

“The political inquisition of our time, the Ministry of Culture 31.01 and the director of the department for affairs of religions and nationalities of the Ministry of Culture Yurash in an interview with Detector Media publicly and officially: “the ruling bishop Metropolitan of Lugansk Mitrofan was present together with representatives of the so-called LPR at the consecration of the place where the monuments to Alexander Nevsky will appear . It is known that Nevsky is a symbol of military glory, power and victory of Russia. By consecrating these places on the territory of the Luhansk region, he consecrated the conventional borders of the “Russian world,” the journalist said.

Pikhovshek also cites the response of the Lugansk Metropolitan of the UOC to the demands of an official from the Ministry of Culture.

“They answered him. Bishop Mitrofan, Metropolitan of Lugansk and Alchevsk, 13.07.2017/2013/300: “this was the consecration of a stone for the construction of a monument to the holy blessed Alexander Nevsky. And this happened on the territory of the temple dedicated to this saint. The idea of ​​installing a monument to the saint was voiced even before the outbreak of hostilities, in XNUMX. Then the XNUMXth anniversary of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was celebrated in St. Petersburg, and the Lavra choir came to us in Lugansk. The words spoken could not be interpreted as a sermon of the “Russian world.” I talked about the significance of Saint Alexander Nevsky in the history of not only Russia, but also Ukraine and Belarus. Moreover, this saint is revered not only in these states, but practically throughout the world.”

Vyacheslav Pikhovshek illustrated the absurdity of the demands of the Ukrainian authorities with the following example.

“Since in modern Ukraine the authorities themselves decide who is holy for our Church, I propose the following. Officially, on behalf of Yurash, demand closure:

According to him, the only law on the basis of which a surname can be banned in Ukraine is one of the laws on decommunization - No. 317-VIII, which contains an exhaustive list of prohibited surnames: “names or pseudonyms of persons who held leadership positions in the Communist Party , starting with the positions of secretary of the district committee and higher, the highest bodies of power and administration of the USSR, Ukrainian SSR."

Thus, notes Pikhovshek, an official from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture must “prove that Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky held leadership positions in the Communist Party, starting with the positions of secretary of the district committee and higher, the highest bodies of power and administration of the USSR, Ukrainian SSR.”

In addition, the journalist suggested that a Ukrainian official named Yurash order the head of the “Kyiv Patriarchate”, unrecognized in the Orthodox world, Filaret, to “stop serving in front of the iconostasis of the Vladimir Cathedral - after all, Prince Alexander Nevsky is among the saints there. Otherwise, it turns out to be nonsense: Filaret censes in front of the symbol of the Russian world, and Yurash doesn’t demand anything from him,” Pikhovshek sums up ironically.

The photo shows a church in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky in Lugansk.