UOC comments on radicals' actions against construction of new churches
Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich. Photo: screenshot / Miriane YouTube-channel
The spokesman of the UOC, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, commented on the activity of radicals who oppose the construction of the UOC churches instead of the seized ones and threaten philanthropists who help in this cause.
He voiced his point of view in the Right to Faith program on the 1Kozak channel.
“I think this is a demonstration of powerlessness – radicals and others of that ideological ilk – to do something real about the revival of parishes in western Ukraine. The churches are actually built there, with people and benefactors assisting in this matter. The Right Sector claims we build them only to keep statistics. This is not so,” the priest said.
The spokesman of the UOC stressed that churches are being built for real people. There are many of them – 200, 300 believers in villages with a population of up to 1000 people.
Parishes are reviving and there is nothing radicals can do about it, he added.
“One doesn’t need to pay attention to their ‘performances’. We are indeed on the right track, engaged in building temples for believers. <...> The Church is developing not thanks to, but in spite of, and we thank God for this. This also includes in spite of the Right Sector," summed up Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich.
The UOJ wrote that on September 15, the Lviv Right Sector openly threatened to take "radical measures" against the entrepreneur Andrey Biba, a patron, thanks to whom 10 churches of the UOC were built in the western regions of Ukraine to replace the seized ones. The radicals voiced their threats and demands at one of the BRSM-Nafta gas stations owned by the entrepreneur.
Also, members of the Right Sector announced their involvement in the seizure of 50 churches and threatened with new actions against the UOC.
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.