Novinsky: UOC peacemaking efforts should restore confidence of Donbass

The head of the "Opposition Bloc" faction Vadim Novinsky. Photo: newformat.info

On July 2, 2019, the head of the “Opposition Bloc” faction Vadim Novinsky in the program “Segodnia” (“Today”) on the “Ukraine” TV channel spoke about the importance of UOC peacemaking policy, writes newformat.info.

According to him, the path to peace is an entirely achievable goal for the Ukrainian government and society.

“After the implementation of the Minsk agreements, we will need to renew the mutual trust of the Donbass and the rest of Ukraine. <...>

We believe that in order to restore confidence, it will also be necessary to fully use the peacemaking potential of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which still carries out its ministry throughout the territory of Ukraine – both under government control and uncontrolled.

The Church should participate in all peace negotiations. And it is the Church that at the end of the war will heal deep wounds inflicted on both sides,” said the deputy.

We recall that His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry has repeatedly stressed that the UOC has been and will continue to be a mediator in the release of Ukrainian hostages. “The man wants to be free, he is created by God free, he wants this freedom,” said the First Hierarch.

Earlier, with the active mediation support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a large-scale exchange of prisoners took place in the Donbass: about a hundred Ukrainian prisoners of war were released. The released military men thanked the Primate and asked to continue their attempts to free those who were still in captivity.

Experts stressed that despite the fact that the exchange was the result of the joint efforts of the UOC and the ROC, ex-President Petro Poroshenko, representatives of the UOC KP and the RCC, who had no relation to the exchange of prisoners, promoted themselves on the exchange.

Read also

In Ukraine, Trump’s 'spiritual advisor' reassured of religious freedom

Pastor Mark Burns stated that Ukraine, despite the war, is a "beacon of religious freedom."