Zoria: If power doesn’t interfere in church affairs, transfers ’ll continue

Eustratiy Zoria. Photo: Facebook

Eustratiy Zoria said on the air of “5 Channel” that transfers to the OCU will be activated as soon as the authorities adhere to the law, ceases to protect the rights of only certain denominations and treat everyone equally. 

“Previously, the position of the authorities was clear as to whether artificial obstacles would be created for those religious communities that would show such a desire (transfer to the OCU – Ed.),” Zoria said. “During the period of the change of power, the period of presidential and parliamentary elections, the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC – Ed.) instigated thoughts that the new power would not treat this process positively but vice versa. And this, of course, influenced the clergy and believers."

The spokesman for the OCU believes that communities that are eager to move to a new structure are experiencing unprecedented pressure: “Methods of informational pressure, intimidation are being used, meetings ( of communities - Ed.) are being disrupted, all sorts of other things are being done to prevent the community from freely making its decision".

As a result, Zoria said that he sees the prospect of activating the transfers of the UOC communities to the OCU if the new authorities cease to protect the rights of individual denominations and treat all equally.

“As the structure of the new power is finally formed, and those promises (which we have heard more than once) that the state will adhere to the law, not interfere in the affairs of the Church, and, accordingly, protect the rights of all believers (and not of individual ones as the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC – Ed.) hopes), I think that these issues will again be on the agenda for many communities,” Zoria said.

Earlier, Zoria said that transfers to the OCU slowed down due to the aggression of UOC believers.

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