French journalist speaks about seizures of UOC temples in Ukraine

Believers of the UOC hold a service in a barn after their church was seized. Photo: from Flavius Mihăieș's page on X

In an interview with American lawyer representing the UOC, Robert Amsterdam, the author of the article "Ukraine's Two Wars" in The American Conservative, Flavius Mihăieș, shared details about his trip to Ukraine from November 28 to December last year. Amsterdam posted the video of their conversation on X.

"I spent most of my time in Ukraine on the ground visiting the parishioners, the faithful, whether they are from the traditional church or the newer church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). What became quite clear to me is that the followers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are prevented from practicing their faith. This is more striking with the seizure of their temples," he stated.

He shared that in all the cases, dozens of parishes I visited across the western and southern parts of the country said that this was done illegally, in a forcible way, using the state apparatus, law enforcement agencies, and without recourse. In every single case where the parishioners tried to get the judiciary to look at the expropriations, they failed.

"There is a consistent pattern of being left helpless, thrown out of their temples, and left to gather in barns or private homes in less-than-optimal, even dangerous, situations.," the journalist concluded.

Flavius Mihăieș noted that during his visits to Sunday and holiday services, the makeshift temporary spaces were packed with UOC believers, while the churches taken from the UOC were either empty or sparsely attended.

"In some cases, the churches were closed, with no services on Sundays, while a few feet away, the relocated UOC services were packed.," he added.

According to Mihăieș, representatives of the OCU "politicized religious spaces," "actively replacing icons, erasing what they claimed Russian saints." He added that "in some cases, they injected a very secular political element, such as depicting Maidan protesters alongside the Mother of God icon, which is a sacred icon in Eastern Orthodoxy."

As previously reported by the UOJ, the French journalist believes that the persecution of the UOC undermines the strength of the Ukrainians at a time of war.

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