German university professors support Fr Mykolay Danylevych

Professors Thomas Bremer and Regina Elsner (Germany). Photo: vzcz.church.ua

On April 24, 2024, Professor Emeritus Dr. Thomas Bremer and Professor Dr. Regina Elsner from Germany issued a "Statement in Support of Father Mykolay Danylevych Regarding His Criminal Prosecution," as reported by the DECR UOC website.

"We have known Father Mykolay for many years in the context of our academic and ecumenical work, including joint working groups with European partner organizations on peaceful religious coexistence in Ukraine and field research on the religious environment in Ukraine. We are familiar with his public statements on social media, including his personal Telegram account, and we have examined the statements he made on Telegram – among others, those that attracted the attention of the SBU," the statement reads.

From their academic perspective, none of his texts provide grounds for accusations of discrimination, legitimizing Russian aggression, or using hate speech. The professors noted that Father Mykolay even speaks more mildly than usual in such cases.

They pointed out that Father Mykolay has also been responsible for pastoral care for Ukrainian Orthodox refugees in Western Europe and has been involved in establishing parish structures of the UOC in European countries.

Based on their experience, Bremer and Elsner called these parishes "an important spiritual and humanitarian anchor for many refugees" and stressed that they do not pose any security risk to Ukrainian refugees or European societies.

The professors speculated that the real reason for the recent accusations against Fr Mykolay is his statements regarding bill No. 8371 in conversations with foreign church representatives and his crucial involvement in the new Ukrainian church presence in Europe.

They concluded that there is no evidence to support the SBU's claims that parishes in Western countries allegedly "spread Russian propaganda narratives" or that Fr Mykolay "attempted to discredit our country on the international stage."

On the contrary, they argued, in Germany, which hosts the largest congregation of UOC parishes, Mykolay Danylevych and these parishes have garnered support for Ukraine in Germany and many Western countries.

They added that UOC parishes in Germany are important participants in mobilizing German society to support Ukraine spiritually, humanitarianly, economically, and militarily.

In contrast, the professors criticized the public stigmatization of the UOC by Ukrainian political figures as a "Russian agent", illustrated by the actions of the SBU, stating that it discredits Ukrainian interests abroad and undermines efforts to strengthen international solidarity.

As reported by the UOJ, German Protestant theologians have expressed support for the DECR UOC Deputy Chairman.

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