SOC bishop: Ukrainian govt persecutes the UOC and tramples on human rights

Bishop Silouan. Photo: srpska.pravoslavie.ru

Bishop Silouan of Australia and New Zealand (Serbian Orthodox Church) appealed to the Australian authorities and stated that the Ukrainian authorities are persecuting the UOC and violating human rights, soc.org.au reports.

The hierarch of the Serbian Church spoke about the reasons for the eviction of the brethren of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from the ancient monastery.

“The reason for this persecution is that the UOC refuses to submit to politics and become part of the state-imposed nationalist entity known as the OCU,” said the hierarch of the SOC.

“The persecution of the monastics of the aforementioned Lavra is actually part of the nationalist fire politically ignited and fanned by the Ukrainian government in Kyiv,” he added.

Bishop Silouan said that the Kyiv authorities and international governments are hiding the plight of monasticism and called on the Australian Prime Minister to demand that the Ukrainian authorities “respect and protect democratic rights, religious freedoms and freedom of conscience, especially with regard to monasticism in Ukraine, Kyiv, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the UOC.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Serbian bishop reached out to the Croatian authorities with a request to protect the UOC.

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