Ukraine’s court confessions: conscience or LGBT?
“Moscow priests” will be branded not only for refusing to transfer to the OCU, not only for the Julian calendar, but also for “homophobia”.
The head of DESS Yelensky made a statement about the relationship between authorities and religious organizations, which at first glance seems routine, but is actually extremely important.
Briefly, what this is about. The head of DESS acknowledged that there is a significant problem on Ukraine's path to the EU: churches consider LGBT and abortions to be sins, "and these norms contradict those that exist in the West, particularly in European Union countries."
According to him, on one hand, there is the position of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO), which the authorities "cannot ignore." But on the other hand – "obligations that must be fulfilled for joining the European Union."
Since these contradictions are irreconcilable, someone must "give way." And Yelensky already knows who. It is – AUCCRO. "Although the Churches have their own 'red lines,' they are capable of compromises," he stated.
And there is no doubt that AUCCRO will go along with this. Why? Because the members of this organization have long been living in compromise with their conscience. Ever since they first agreed at the authorities' request to lie that there are no religious persecutions in Ukraine. When they began traveling to the West on propaganda "advocacy" tours, where they assured that there are no seizures in Ukraine, that there is "exceptional" freedom of faith here. When they supported the law banning the country's most numerous confession.
For this, AUCCRO members received various perks from the authorities: deferment from mobilization, awards and presidential attention, media support, assistance in seizures, and more.
And now all of this will need to be worked off.
Of course, no one wants to appear in society's eyes as a person of low social responsibility. Therefore, initially AUCCRO members will express timid protests. But what then? Then we will hear from AUCCRO the entire set of arguments from their Western colleagues who have already accepted LGBT to please the authorities: that the Church is obligated to accept everyone, that a person must be loved with all their imperfections, that the words about gays in Scripture are outdated, and so forth.
The question is not whether this will happen – Yelensky transparently hinted that it certainly will. The question is when exactly these narratives will begin to spread massively throughout Ukraine. And then "Moscow priests" will be stigmatized not only for refusing to transfer to the OCU, not only for the Julian calendar, but also for "homophobia."
