Fr Alexander Klimenko: Patriarch Bartholomew betrayed Christian vows

Alexander Klimenko at the rally of UOC believers along the route of Patriarch Bartholomew’s cortege in Kyiv. Photo: a screenshot of the video from the "1Kozak" Facebook page

Archpriest Alexander Klimenko took part in the action of the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the entrance to Kyiv along the route of Patriarch Bartholomew’s cortege as he considers the actions of the Phanar head in Ukraine a betrayal of Christian vows. The cleric of the Boryspil Eparchy of the UOC said this live from the place of the action to the "1Kozak" channel.

The priest said he wanted to show the head of the Phanar how much evil his betrayal brought the believers of the UOC in the form of backstage agreements with the previous President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, followed by the Tomos bestowal and the creation of the OCU. “This agreement brought us tears, the seizures of churches, it made priests and lay people pray in sheds and other adapted premises, or even in the street,” said Fr. Alexander Klimenko. “Your agreement, as for me, is behind the scenes and incomprehensible from the point of view of Christianity, and our believers understand this, it made us second-class people in Ukraine when anyone can offend us, seize our churches. Because it turned out that the Ecumenical Patriarch betrayed his previous love, previous promises and friendship, in the end, he betrayed his Christian vows to remember that we pray together."

The cleric of the UOC believes that the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Ukraine is a political act since there is no Christian love in it. At the same time, Father Alexander hopes that the Phanar head may not know what the real consequences of his actions in Ukraine are and that the Patriarch of Constantinople will nevertheless meet tomorrow with believers at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada during the prayer standing.

As reported, after Patriarch Bartholomew’s visit to Ukraine, the persecution of the UOC may increase, says publicist Yan Taksiur.

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