Young Ukrainian Woman Takes Pastor Mark Burns to School

Pastor Mark Burns, one of President Trump's "spiritual advisors," recently claimed that the Holy Spirit told him there is no persecution in Ukraine. Today, he received a much-needed reality check from a pious young woman of the UOC.

In a masterclass on the true state of religious freedom in Ukraine, Tatiana Tsaruk set the record straight.

Discussions about the Ukraine War and the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are often clouded by hyper-partisanship, misinformation, and personal attacks. Tsaruk, however, took a different approach. With a tone of grace and composure, she acknowledged Burns' efforts toward peace while gently but firmly presenting the painful reality. Her response, steeped in Christian love, was a testament to the principle of speaking the truth in love.

Here is an excerpt from her response:

Dear pastor Mark Burns, thank you for telling the world about the atrocities committed by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories. But I want to remind you, that there is also territory of Ukraine that is not occupied, but where my people [are] still suffering religious discrimination and persecutions.

As a Ukrainian orthodox Christian, I want to thank you for coming... and particular for your concern for the more than 700 destroyed houses of worship, mosques, synagogues, temples and churches.

However, please, do not support criminal religious policies inside of unoccupied Ukraine by telling the world: "Yet despite these horrors, Ukraine stands strong as a beacon of religious freedom, welcoming ALL faiths." It’s simply not true.

Read her comments in full here

Why are our churches being taken away from us in a favor of the state-backed religious organization?
Why is violence committed against UOC believers not punished?
Why do you not notice the multiple violation of our rights? There are certain regions in western Ukraine, such as Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, where all our churches are closed, or seized, or even destroyed. And this is not done by Russia. This is done by people in power, officials, or with their support and participation... All these religious leaders you’ve met in Kyiv turn a blind eye on what’s happening.

We have no religious freedom...

I understand that the ones who invited you manipulated [you]. But if you seek the truth, you should see the whole picture and not only condemn what is happening on occupied territories.

Tatiana's words reveal the truth of the situation on the ground in Ukraine. More than this, they reveal the true Christian piety which the canonical Orthodox Church instills in her children.

"Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver them out of them all... The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants, and none of them shall go astray which hope in Him." [Psalm 33]

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