Archpriest Mykola Danylevych, a spokesman for the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate, is not outraged that Russian troops have destroyed dozens of churches with the blessing of ROC Patriarch Cyril Gundyaev. There is no post on his Facebook page condemning the war. Instead, he focused on the alleged “seizures” of churches by OCU believers. According to the UOC-MP, it is not Russian missiles and sermons of Cyril (Gundyaev) that sow discord, but the OCU.
Religious expert Oleksandr Yefremenko wrote about this on Facebook.
“It seemed that in such a tragic time for our country there can be not the slightest place or even a drop of hypocrisy, but no. This has become so ingrained in the nature of certain ‘high-ranking’ clergy that even war can’t rid them of hypocrisy, cynicism, and cunning. A striking example of all this is the recent Facebook post by one of the main mouthpieces of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Mykola Danylevych, in which he accused the OCU of looting and, again, seizing churches!” Yefremenko said.
He stressed that there was no letter on Father Mykola’s page condemning the crimes of the Russian occupiers that led to the destruction of temples run by the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.
“He is not outraged or condemned by the behavior of the ROC leader – his sermons and blessings to kill Ukrainians,” said the religious pundit.
“Probably, neither Father Mykola nor his clergy is worried about this. What is more important to them is how the ‘schismatics’ are seizing the temples in the rear. According to him, the OCU sows ‘enmity and division on religious grounds.’ Just think about it: the OCU is sowing discord and enmity. Not Russian missiles and Gundyaev’s sermons, but the OCU!” Yefremenko concluded.
