Adviser to President of Ukraine: I am an atheist but of Kiev Patriarchate

Yuriy Biriukov with the President of Ukraine

Adviser to the President of Ukraine Yuriy Biryukov called himself an atheist of the Kiev Patriarchate. He said this on his Facebook page, commenting on the meeting of Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Kirill on August 31 in Istanbul.

"I'm really an atheist," Biriukov said. Absolutely. But the atheist of the Kiev Patriarchate, of course. And I’ve been keeping track of the developments regarding the granting of the Tomos not because it would somehow have an impact on me but because it is necessary for the whole country."

This is not the first atheist concerned about receiving the Tomos on autocephaly for Ukraine. Earlier, blogger-journalist Aider Muzhdabaev said that although he is an atheist, he is in favor of autocephaly. At the same time, the blogger called the Tomos a "landmark decision" for Ukraine, while all those disagreeing with this decision were attributed to the "motley crew".

Yuriy Biriukov was appointed adviser to the President of Ukraine in 2014.

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