Publicist – to authorities: If you persecute UOC, we'll never vote for you!

Prayer standing of believers of the UOC at the Verkhovna Rada. Photo: UOJ

The persecuted believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will never vote again for their persecutors. The Ukrainian writer, poet, publicist and Orthodox Christian Yan Taksiur said this at the round table "The Basic Law of Ukraine and its Application in Relation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church."

He noted that the majority of those who persecute the Church are non-church people and do not understand: if the temples are taken away from the believers, "the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the woods, in the deserts, in the caves ... Christ will find a place for worship because we are His Church."

“I want to say purely pragmatically to those who persecute our Church. You will not be able to implement the project of filling a new religious structure with people instead of ours – you will never succeed: as the OCU was empty, so it will remain empty. The second thing you don’t understand is that these people will never vote for you again, you will not get them to,” said the writer.

Yan Taksiur also emphasized that the persecutors of the Church carry out violence against the immortal human soul. At the same time, they "are also the creatures of God, Who is confessed by those whom they persecute."

“Christ created not only us, but also you, respected or not very respected persecutors,” he recalled.

Recall, according to Yan Taksiur, the authorities are wrong when they think that if they strong-arm the UOC believers, the latter will rush to the OCU.

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.