UOC Synod addresses Poroshenko on Alexander (Drabinko)’s slander

Ukrainian Orthodox Church has urged President Petro Poroshenko to put an end to the use of the Church "in the political manipulation and settling of scores between political opponents." As stated in the open letter of the Holy Synod of the UOC to the head of the state, the last striking example of this policy was the criminal proceedings, in which the MP Vadim Novinsky and Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) are cited.

In the appeal, the Synod notes that insults, threats and incitement to discrimination against millions of UOC parishioners have become commonplace and the authorities have never given a legal assessment of such actions, even though many international organizations, including the OSCE and the UN, have paid attention to it.
This is particularly reflected in the way an investigation into the last years of life of the late Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine is being carried out today.

"Publicized documents indicate that the investigation lacks understanding of the internal life of the Church, – the statement says. – In addition, comments that the Prosecutor General, as well as the individual members of the government, voiced to the press implicitly suggest that the criminal proceedings are another example of pressure on political opponents, while making use of the Church. In particular, the public is watching a political debate about the possible removal of parliamentary immunity of people's deputies of Ukraine V. Novinsky, who appears in the criminal proceedings on the fact whether there have been unlawful actions of the previous government with respect to the Church. This discussion does not take into account any subjectivity or selectivity of evidence given by the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine."

The greatest damage from the resonance around the investigation, according to the Synod, will be caused to the memory of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir.

"The fact that the source of information dirt became Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevsky only adds to the shame of the situation, – the statement says. – Without informing the Church authority that he was aware of some important facts, he decided to spread unconfirmed rumors and slander through the mass media. Trying to avoid responsibility before the law regarding not unfounded suspicion of complicity in a resonant offence, the bishop consciously became a tool of political struggle, ignoring morality and discrediting the service of the late Primate."

"Deliberately distancing from the essence of the political debate," the Synod stated that the use of the UOC as a tool for political struggle is absolutely unacceptable.