P.Ts.U PRIMATE: WE THANK POROSHENKO FOR TOMOS, BUT WE
CAMPAIGN FOR
NOBODY
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PTsU) acknowledges that
the current
president did a great deal for getting autocephaly. However, the
church does
not campaign for any one of the candidates and it leaves to the
faithful the
right to vote as they wish.
Metropolitan Epifany stated this today, 11 April, at a
press conference
in Lvov.
"We are for the campaign to be clean and in a spirit of
love. We
have parishioners who support both candidates. And as a church
we do not have
the right to indicate for whom to vote," he reported.
At the same time, the first hierarch urged voting
conscientiously,
according to conscience.
"Now it is important for us not to lose freedom. We must
understand one thing: without freedom, which we could lose,
there never will be
prosperity. This is the interconnectedness of things. If there
will be freedom,
there will be independence and justice, and then gradually there
will be
prosperity," Metropolitan Epifany said.
The primate of the PTsU also commented on a statement of
a
representative of the Verkhovna Rada, Oksana Syroed, that
allegedly the
presidential administration is forcing the clergy of the PTsU to
campaign for
Poroshenko.
"I have been asked often whether I have the president's
telephone
number and whether I communicate directly with him. I will say
honestly: I do
not have the number and I communicate with him only officially.
We have met
seldom and they do not give us orders. And I do not believe that
any bishop has
been called by the presidential administration and given
orders," the
first hierarch assured.
"During the divine liturgy we pray that honest elections
will be
conducted in Ukraine. Of course, we thank Petro Alekseevich that
he did a great
deal in order for us to get autocephaly. We do not hide this,
because that
would be unfair—to forget those good deeds that were done
heretofore.
"The tomos concerning autocephaly is among the achievements of the current president. We speak this truth; we do not spread propaganda; we do not advocate. But as people we should be grateful. The tomos is an historical fact that has already happened. The name of the current president is also inscribed there and nobody will be able to erase it from history," the primate of the PTsU, Epifany, noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 April 2019)
METROPOLITAN EPIFANY DESCRIBES WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO
P.Ts.U. AFTER
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Metropolitan Epifany, the primate of the Orthodox Church
of Ukraine
(PTsU), is convinced that his church will continue to be
affirmed and to
develop under the next head of the Ukrainian state. As UNIAN
reported on 11
April, Metropolitan Epifany reported this to journalists in
Lvov.
"The church plays an important role in the creation of
the state.
If we will have our own strong, united, local Orthodox church,
it will be the
spiritual foundation, a strong foundation, on which we will
build our
independent Ukrainian state. If there will be no state, there
will be no
independent Ukrainian church; these are interconnected things,"
he
declared.
The metropolitan also said that "we pray and we believe
that the
Lord will do everything so that these elections will proceed
peacefully and calmly,
and we will choose a head of the Ukrainian state by democratic
means and we
will maintain the course that we have followed not only in the
last five year
but for almost three decades, the course in the direction of
Europe and
Ukrainian membership in NATO."
In the opinion of the primate of the PTsU, the course
toward European
and Euro-Atlantic integration is important for preserving the
integrity of the
Ukrainian state.
Epifany made clear that in the event of Vladimir
Zelensky's victory in
the election, "on the whole the course of the development of the
Ukrainian
church will be maintained and in the future we will be gradually
unified, as
this is even now happening."
"The people will select their religious center; the
state should
not interfere in this. The state should only ensure the rights
of religious
communities and the state should help and enable without
determined
interference," Epifany summed up.
The second round of the election of the Ukrainian president will be held on 21 April. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 April 2019)
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