20,000 Ukrainian laity hold prayer vigil outside Parliament in defense of their rights (+VIDEOS)

Kiev, June 15, 2021

Photo: spzh.news Photo: spzh.news     

The newly-created Laity NGO and thousands of parishioners of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church gathered outside Ukrainian Parliament today to present two draft laws aimed at protecting the rights of the faithful of the UOC.

OrthoChristian reported last week on the founding Laity, which aims to defend the rights of the persecuted Orthodox Church and to uphold its moral teachings. The organization called on all interested Orthodox Christians to join the prayer vigil outside the Verkhovna Rada.

The bills presented by Laity are backed by the signatures of more than a million Ukrainian Orthodox laymen, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

This is the first time in the history of the Ukrainian state that it is the faithful who will submit draft laws to Parliament, His Grace Bishop Viktor of Baryshevka emphasized in a message on his Telegram channel.

In addition to more than 20,000 faithful from throughout Ukraine, several hierarchs and clerics also joined in the prayer vigil. People’s Deputy Vadim Novinsky, a deacon and great defender of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, received the bills that aim to correct the anti-Orthodox laws passed under Poroshenko and promised to pass them on to Parliament.

As Laity founder Vasily Makarovsky explained, combating the persecutorial laws is the most pressing issue facing the UOC right now, as they have allowed several hundred churches to be seized by force and illegally reregistered since the creation of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” in 2018. Laity’s bills are designed to repeal the Poroshenko laws, including the attempted forced renaming of the UOC.

Unfortunately, nationalist schismatics also appeared at Parliament today, shouting nationalist slogans such as, “Glory to the nation, death to our enemies,” to which the Orthodox faithful responded: “Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!”

The faithful also joyfully sang the Paschal troparion:

At 11:47 this morning, His Eminence Archbishop Nikolai of Vasilovo announced that the draft laws had been received and expressed hope that the authorities would take them into consideration. They were also delivered to the Office of the President.

As His Eminence explained, in essence, the faithful are merely demanding to be treated in accordance with the Ukrainian constitution.

“Since Ukraine received the Tomos, nearly 500 churches have been forcibly seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the Archbishop said. “500 persecuted parishes, hundreds of thousands of crippled human destinies. Not paying attention to this isn’t just lawlessness: it’s cynicism, it’s disdain for your people. How did the largest religious community in Ukraine become an enemy in its own country? Why are we put in opposition to the state? Are we not citizens of Ukraine?”

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6/15/2021

See also
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His Eminence emphasized that he really liked the spirit of the people he met in the churches of the UOC. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church: The Time of Particular Spiritual Exploits and Temptations Draws Near The Ukrainian Orthodox Church: The Time of Particular Spiritual Exploits and Temptations Draws Near
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Metropolitan Kliment of Nezhin and Priluky, Head of the Synodal Department on Information and Education of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church spoke about the experiences of his Local Church in the winter of 2021. Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye: “Where There is Christ it is Always Peaceful” Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye: “Where There is Christ it is Always Peaceful”
Met. Luke of Zaporozhye and Melitopol Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye: “Where There is Christ it is Always Peaceful” Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye: “Where There is Christ it is Always Peaceful”
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Moral persecutions of the Church have never ended because vice has always reigned in this world. We are weak, and we often don’t know how to act in one or another situation. Where can we get courage? Of course, first and foremost in the Church sacraments. Live with Christ, and He will surely help you. Schismatics call on state and internat’l partners to forcefully rename canonical Ukrainian Church Schismatics call on state and internat’l partners to forcefully rename canonical Ukrainian Church Schismatics call on state and internat’l partners to forcefully rename canonical Ukrainian Church Schismatics call on state and internat’l partners to forcefully rename canonical Ukrainian Church
The OCU is hoping for a second wave of parish “transitions” from the canonical to the schismatic church as preparation for the summer visit of Patriarch Bartholomew, who intends to arrive in Ukraine as a hero.
Comments
Michael6/17/2021 2:51 pm
“Are we not citizens of Ukraine?” That's the thing about ethno-nationalism... It does not care about legal status. It does not recognize all citizens of the country as being "true" members of the nation. As far as the schismatics, Uniates and their fellow ethno-nationalists are concerned, you're only a "true Ukrainian" if you agree with them. Anyone who disagrees with them is somehow Russian, even if he was born in Ukraine and his family has been in Ukraine for generations. That's their mindset: "If you are against us, you're a traitor to the nation - because we ARE the nation - and don't deserve to live in Ukraine." And from there, it only takes one more step to conclude that some kind of solution of a final nature must be found to deal with all these "nation traitors" causing problems for "true Ukrainians".
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