Political analyst: intervention in the Church affairs is an attempt to distract attention from problems

When politicians start to address such issues, it is speculation and attempts to distract our attention from what they are doing, said political analyst Alexei Yakubin in his interview to Slovo i Delo (Word and Deed).

"It is a dangerous situation when top-level officials start to speak out on the subject of faith and religion, even though, under the Constitution, the state is separated from the Church. It is not the function of politicians. This is not the agenda of the modern state. Similar in its time was the situation with the language issue – some deputies actively promoted it, trying to get the support of voters. Now we see the politicization of the situation," said Yakubin.

"The situation when all had to belong to one church was in Europe in the XIV century. All it is left behind. Therefore, when politicians begin to address such issues, it is speculation and attempts to distract our attention from what they are doing," stated the analyst.

According to him, for some politicians the Church now is the mechanism to get voter support. "They view the Church as an institution to spread their power upon, and so, accordingly, there is such a reaction," he added.

Yakubin stressed that the government has a certain fear to see the multitudes in the streets, as the authorities have nervously reacted to mass actions recently.

Recall, on July 3 the All-Ukrainian Cross Procession of peace, love and prayer for Ukraine started from the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra, and on 9 July the prayerful procession set off from the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra to meet in Kiev on July 27.

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