Arestovych: The West is shocked by the authorities’ attack on the UOC

Former advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Arestovych, stated that in the United States, attacks by Ukrainian authorities on the UOC are considered unacceptable. He made this statement during a broadcast on his YouTube channel.

Arestovych mentioned that "very serious people who shape half of the US politics and aid to Ukraine" have described the persecutions against the UOC as unacceptable." He emphasized that these individuals are deeply religious, and their reaction to the decision of the Verkhovna Rada, which garnered votes in favor of banning the 'Moscow Patriarchate', would likely be one of shock. They say: “Well, there are a lot of collaborators – so arrest the collaborators for a specific criminal offense. Why attack the Church? Are you crazy?” he said.

According to Arestovych, these influential figures believe that persecuting the Church as an institution is unjustifiable. Instead, he suggested that Ukrainian authorities and law enforcement agencies should investigate crimes that might have been committed by individual representatives of the UOC.

Arestovych reiterated that his position has always been to prosecute individuals who have committed crimes, whether they are criminal, political, or related to collaboration. He stressed that there should be no exceptions, and if the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) or the police need to take action, they should focus on finding real criminals.

Additionally, Arestovych proposed that the correct solution to the UOC issue would be to convene a Council of Churches. He suggested gathering religious leaders for a lengthy theological discussion and a canonical examination to determine the naming and status of the Church, whether it remains Ukrainian or otherwise.

As reported by the UOJ, Arestovych has previously stated that he sees a way out of the crisis with the UOC through "discussions involving all Churches."