Ethnopolitics: Banning UOC with 2 million believers will derail the country
On September 13, 2022, Olena Bohdan, the head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience of Ukraine, said that the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church could lead to internal political confrontation. Bohdan expressed her point of view at the conference "Religious Peace or ‘War of Civilizations’".
According to the official, the ban on the UOC is “the easiest way to destabilize the situation in society, to create an intense confrontation between citizens, to cause a serious struggle between citizens and law enforcement agencies, a huge offense and distrust of state authorities.”
“Some in Ukrainian society think that the UOC has very few believers left, but this is not so,” recalled the head of the State Service. She added that if someone decides to “go and physically take people out of the temples” in the hope that supporters of the OCU will come instead of them, then this will not happen, since there are not so many believers in the Epifaniy’s structure.
As the UOJ wrote, the UOC has twice as many priests as the OCU, according to Olena Bohdan.
Read also
Attempted Arson at Hagia Sophia Quickly Contained, Suspect in Custody
Incident follows evening prayer service; authorities say suspect has history of mental illness.
Surrogates More Likely to Suffer from Mental Illness
Nearly half of surrogate mothers face risk of new-onset mental health issues, according to a recent study.
Nearly 2,000 Pilgrims Participate in Procession to Pochaiv Lavra
“We walked openly, prayed together, and were amazed that 1,800 of us came together," one pilgrim said.
Patriarch Bartholomew Seeks to Create a 'Common Sacred Worldview'
Patriarch Bartholomew clarified that the goal is not a unified global religion but a “global alliance of conscience” opposed to a “reductive materialist worldview."
Schismatic Anglican Bishop Schisms from Schismatic Anglican Sect
The split reflects Giffin’s resistance to a potential APA merger with the Anglican Catholic Church—another small, schismatic Anglican body.
Macedonian and Ukrainian Bishops Concelebrate for the First Time
The newly-autocephalous Macedonian Church refused to recognize the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine.