The UOC gave Zelensky a blessing, promised support and reminded him of the captured churches
The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in canonical unity with the Moscow Patriarchate), Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev congratulates Vladimir Zelensky on his victory in the presidential elections and reminds him of the importance of observing the principle of non-interference in the affairs of the church, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This is stated in his congratulatory letter to Zelensky, reports the information and educational department of the UOC.
“I am confident that your service as President of Ukraine will act as a guarantor of compliance by the state authorities with the Constitution, the principle of non-interference of the state in the affairs of the Church, as defined by the Basic Law, as well as the rights and freedoms of believers of all faiths,” the message says.
Onufriy considers Zelensky’s victory in the elections “evidence of great confidence in him on the part of Ukrainian society.” Also, in his opinion, this is a sign that “his stated priorities for the country’s development coincide with the hopes and aspirations of the Ukrainian people.”
The Metropolitan assured Zelensky that he can count on “the unconditional support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in all matters that will contribute to the establishment and development of the spiritual and moral values of Ukrainian society.”
In conclusion, the head of the UOC wished Zelensky “God’s blessing on a new and responsible path of serving Ukraine and its people.”
Ранее with a similar message Another important church dignitary of the UOC, the head of the Zaporozhye diocese, Metropolitan Luke, addressed Vladimir Zelensky.
“The people count on an improvement in the situation in the country after the elections and think that you, the new Head of State and your team will really be able to achieve positive results in the announced reform program,” the appeal says. – We – clergy and believers of the Zaporozhye diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – hope that the changes so necessary for our country will be implemented peacefully, in the interests of ordinary people, and not a narrow group of moneybags lining their pockets and bureaucrats reveling in power. We also expect that with the arrival of a new head of state, who positions himself as a servant of the people, the Constitution and laws that guarantee Ukrainian citizens strict observance of fundamental rights and freedoms will be restored.”
The Metropolitan emphasized that we are also talking about freedom of religion and the absence of discrimination on religious grounds.
“It’s not normal when their churches are forcibly taken away from their rightful owners, putting entire communities on the streets,” noted the ruling bishop of the Zaporozhye diocese of the UOC. “It’s wild when priests and parishioners, even children, are beaten.” It’s scary when, at the instigation of the authorities, priests and their families are evicted from their homes because they do not want to succumb to pressure and betray their Church. It is criminal when officials unlawfully “legalize” false protocols and deprive religious communities of their legal status. Does this meet the standards of morality and our legislation? Does this correspond to the standards of the European community, integration into which has been announced at the highest state level? Doesn’t this split our society and make millions of Orthodox Ukrainians “second-class” citizens?”
Let us remind you that on Sunday, April 21, the second round of presidential elections took place in Ukraine. A record 73% of voters in all regions of the country voted for Vladimir Zelensky, a record for Ukrainian history. In the Zaporozhye region, Zelensky received more than 80% of the votes.
Speaking after the elections to his supporters, Petro Poroshenko promised to “protect” the non-canonical “OCU” created with his active participation from “revenge”.
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