Usyk on Orthodox child-rearing: The main thing is not to impose faith

Alexander Usyk. Photo: YouTube video screenshot by Masha Efrosinina

World heavyweight boxing champion Alexander Usyk spoke about raising his three children in the Orthodox faith in Masha Yefrosinina's Exam program on her YouTube channel.

According to the athlete, he regularly visits temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with his daughter and sons, confesses and receives Holy Communion, explaining to the children the important points of worship. “I tell them: when the Gospel is read, nothing is done. Even when the priest confesses, at the time (the reading of the Gospel – Ed.) all the activities stop – the Gospel is above all,” Usyk said.

The athlete believes that at a certain point, children begin to oppose not even faith or church life, but the will of their parents. At such moments, Usyk said, the main thing is not to force children to participate in the sacraments of the Church, but to set an example for them.

“I don’t force anything on them. They themselves ask, ‘When will we go to Vladyka?’ says the champion. “I don’t put pressure on them. It’s enough for me to read a prayer and ask the children to kiss your baptismal cross three times, cross yourselves, read the Lord’s Prayer. And sooner or later the Lord will bring them to Himself.”

Recall that Alexander Usyk has a daughter and two sons.

As the UOJ reported, after the victorious fight in London and winning four heavyweight boxing belts, Alexander Usyk said that prayer support helped him a lot.

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