UOC urges Ministry of Culture to deal with facts of intolerance
On April 3, RISU published information on the plans of the Expert Council of the Department for Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine to hold a retreat in Zaporozhye.
Zaporozhye eparchy demands that a representative of the Ministry comment on his statement about the eparchy being “most problematic” in Ukraine. It is said in the Address to the Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine A. Yurash.
The eparchy also reminded of the resonant facts of the capture of the Annunciation Church of the UOC in Kolomyia and the Assumption temple of the UOC in Ptichya, actions of the right-wing organization S14 near the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, acts of arson and robbery of churches, and other facts of intolerance against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which have raised concern with the United Nations.
Clerics ask the officials why the Department for Religions and Nationalities failed to respond to these incidents, for example, by conducting appropriate retreats, and how the Department reacted to the concerns expressed by the UN.
"In the light of the above, there are several important issues. How did you personally and the Department headed by you react to the concerns expressed by an authoritative international organization? How relevant is the hasty decision to hold a retreat in Zaporozhye region amid unresolved serious problems in Kiev, the city where the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine is located and the Department headed by you? Maybe, you should pay more attention not to imaginary, but real challenges, which, figuratively speaking, are under your nose?" the eparchy writes.
Representatives of the eparchy note that in order to be unbiased "and not to follow prejudices, as well as information manipulations, it is necessary to know the life of our eparchy from within, to establish regular communication with the metropolitan, clergymen and believers. With this approach, everything will fall into its place and there will come understanding of the artificial problems, mentioned by you."
