Zelenskyy: Claims That Ukraine Persecutes Christians Are ‘False and Manipulative’
The Ukrainian president spoke at length on the topic during an interview on "The Rosenberg Report."
KYIV — In a recently released interview on "The Rosenberg Report," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is waging a war on Christianity while dismissing claims that Ukraine is persecuting Christians as "false and manipulative."
Detailing Russian strikes on sacred sites, including multiple Orthodox cathedrals, Zelenskyy also said that numerous priests, pastors, and religious figures have have been "murdered, kidnapped, or disappeared."
When confronted with the accusations that Ukraine persecutes clergy, Zelenskyy said that this only happens with priests who collaborate with Russia.
"Our law simply states that no religious organization can maintain legal ties with an aggressor state ... That is not persecution. It is national security," he said.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under Metropolitan Onuphry has cut all administrative ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, declaring autonomy and ceasing commemoration of Patriarch Kirill.
Previously, UOJ reported that officers of Ukraine's Military Commissariat (TRC) detained Bishop Seraphim (Kadubyansky) of Novovorontsovsk, vicar of the Nova Kakhovka eparchy. Along with him, Hieromonk Havyil (Kinashchuk) was also seized. The clergymen were being held at a military training ground in Rivne region.
