Expert: Zelensky can stop “steamroll” of reprisals toward the UOC

Newly-elected President Vladimir Zelensky

On April 29, 2019, in the Fast Immersion program with Yekaterina Zharkikh, political analyst Alexei Yakubin shared his thoughts on how the state’s attitude to the UOC would change under the new President.

The political analyst recalled that in one of his interviews, the newly elected President said that politicians should not give publicity to their trips to church.

“Zelensky behaves like a liberal. The Church and religious beliefs are a private matter.

It is not a matter of the state to decide what Church, mosque, synagogue to go to,” he said.

According to him, the “steamroll” of repression against the UOC will be stopped. “Another thing is that it will be necessary to sort it out for a long time,” he added.

As the UOJ reported, earlier Vladimir Zelensky stated that he does not intend to discuss religious issues, since this topic splits families and society.

Read also

ROCOR Priest Reflects on Trip to Capitol Hill

Archpriest Victor Boldewskul participated in the Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco's Day of Action to raise awareness about the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Hundreds of Chinese Christians Arrested in Pre-Christmas Crackdown

Hundreds of Chinese Christians face spending Christmas in detention after authorities launched a sweeping pre-holiday crackdown on churches under Beijing’s campaign to control religious life.

Ukraine Adviser: UOC Not Banned, but Offered a 'Choice' of Jurisdictions

A Ukrainian presidential adviser said the UOC is not banned but pressured to choose between joining the OCU, submitting to Constantinople, or remaining unregistered, while dismissing international concerns as propaganda.

Indiana Reports 98% Drop in Abortions Under Stricter Law

Indiana’s latest health report shows a 98% drop in reported abortions under stricter laws, though dozens still occurred under legal exceptions and concerns persist about unreported pill abortions.

Armenian Apostolic Church Pushes Back on Political Encroachment

The Armenian Apostolic Church plans to appeal to international bodies to resist government interference and defend its clergy and sacred relics.

Attempted Takeover at Armenian Etchmiadzin Cathedral Thwarted by Faithful

Supporters of Armenian PM Pashinyan attempted to storm Etchmiadzin Cathedral amid calls for the Catholicos’s resignation but were blocked by parishioners and security.