_______________________________
LNR Advocate for Cooperation with Religious Organisations and Spiritual Issues Roman Cherneshenko spoke with us about sensitive questions such as registration of religious organisations, rumours about alleged religious persecution, interaction of church and state, sects, and spiritual education.
Lugansk Information Centre (LITs)
What’s the situation with registering religious organisations?
Roman Cherneshenko
Today, we’re ready to re-register and license religious organisations. For example, we have some serious questions about previously issued Ukrainian documents. Earlier-archived files seem to have disappeared. Apparently, someone wanted to cover their tracks. Only a few important documents remain. Therefore, the State Committee on Religion and Spirituality will address all questions on compliance regarding the issuance and verification of previously issued documents. From the start, [Chairman Plotnitsky] gave a clear understanding to all traditional and non-traditional religions, to all religious bodies, that we don’t intend the Committee’s activities and work to be punitive. We’re not going to close down anything or anyone. However, we won’t allow any religious group in the LNR to carry out actions harmful to our Republic, nor shall we allow any subversion against it, nor shall we allow anyone to attack the values underpinning the cultural and spiritual foundations of our society.
LITs
The spiritual foundation of our society is Orthodoxy. Does the Committee consider that?
Cherneshenko
Of course, the LNR recognises this fact. We have a high regard for the work and activities of the Orthodox clergy in our Republic. We can safely say that our priests proved themselves an extremely worthy lot during the period of active hostilities. There are plenty of examples.
LITs
What do you think of the schism in the Church? What would you say about the destructive activity of the Kiev Patriarchate and some of its bishops?
Cherneshenko
Here, [Chairman Plotnitsky’s] position and my stance as his advisor is clear… we believe that the Church should stay out of politics. Simply put, our foundational principle is that the secular state shouldn’t interfere with spiritual life. Of course, in reciprocal fashion, churches shouldn’t interfere with the secular state. Accordingly, there’s never been a question raised about any intervention in or closure of any of the churches or parishes of the so-called “Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate (UPTs/KP)” in the LNR. In fact, it’d be easy for us to do just that… just as our opponents are doing to the parishes of the UPTs/MP in the Western and Central Ukraine. They hope that we’d do just that, however, we wouldn’t let that happen. The people will make up their own minds about the Church. If they want to go to a particular church, why, let it be. We aren’t a punitive body.
LITs
Okay, but what about the Uniates?
Cherneshenko
As far as Uniates go, our position is very simple. In fact, we understand that many religious bodies left the LNR during the phase of active hostilities. It’s certainly distressing when clergy leave their flock. However, what happened, happened. We have no evidence about illegal activities by Uniates or their priests. Accordingly, their claims about hindrances to their work are false. We ask them to tell the truth, that no obstacles to their free work exist here. We ask ourselves all the time, “Why don’t they tell the people in the Western Ukraine that everything’s normal here?” On the contrary, they constantly yak about ballot stuffing, that we want to vilify them, to take them over, and so on. They’ve flooded the internet with horror stories about Cossacks and our soldiers. I checked out such information personally, I went to each site, saw things for myself, and none of this talk has any confirmation. We heard no complaints from parishioners about any shenanigans.
LITs
What about other denominations and religions?
Cherneshenko
Our religious mosaic is incredibly rich as we have many denominations and faiths. Re-registration will give us a clear picture of the number and composition of religious groups now present in the LNR. We’re preparing draft regulations now, and we’ll submit them for consideration and approval by the LNR Peoples Soviet. One should understand that the procedure of re-registration wouldn’t hinder the work of churches and parishes. We pose this question to our opponents, “In your opinion, are we or are we not engaging in repression and confrontation?” Really, we’re not going to do it. We’re going after no one; we’re closing no one down. We listen to everybody and everybody’s cooperating. For example, we actively coöperate with the Muslim community. We have complete mutual understanding with them. We meet with believers from all churches. We all listen to each other; we all find a common language.
LITs
Yes, but what about totalitarian sects and destructive cults?
Cherneshenko
As in any country, there is the unconditional rule of law and the statutes. Sects and cults aren’t new… they’ve been around for centuries. They’ve always been, they are, and they’ll always be… that we know right well. If a group’s actions are destructive in nature, if they pose a danger to life or health, or if they undermine the foundations of the state and society, then, surely, we’d take action. We’d use the law enforcement agencies… the MVD and the MGB… and the courts would take part, too. We’re fully capable of giving a legal response to any destructive activities. I won’t rest until I uproot all the totalitarian sects and cults. In addition, we have should create an independent advisory panel to give us a qualified expert assessment of any sect. After all, LNR universities have Faculties of Theology and Religious Studies; we have scholars and theologians with a competence in these areas. In any case, before we made a particular decision, we’d empanel an independent commission to avoid any insinuations of bias or insufficient study in respect to any religious body.
LITs
What can you tell us about religious culture and education?
Cherneshenko
Our main task is to introduce into our schools’ curriculum a syllabus based on [the Russian] Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture and Ethics. This year, our Ministry of Education introduced several Russian courses [in this] as a part of the Fourth Class during the second semester. There were about six programmes available, but we chose the one that seemed most suitable to us. By order of [Chairman Plotnitsky], acting under recommendations from clergy, the LNR Ministry of Education will introduce these courses [in all schools] effective 1 September, the start of the new school year. We also have to deal with training instructors. The Dahl University theological faculty is now gathering a body of instructors [to teach educators how to present this course]. In addition, Archangel Michael Lugansk Theological University and the Academy of Culture are working on this, too. We appreciate these efforts; we offer them our maximum assistance so that we’d have enough properly trained qualified specialists and theologians. Another important issue concerns advanced training of the clergy. Therefore, this year, Metropolitan Mitrofan Yurchuk of Lugansk and Alchevsk blessed a number of young priests to study in secular universities. I’d also like to speak to parents, who so often try to pass on the basics of simple faith. If you want our children to succeed in life, they need peace, kindness, and love… give them the space to decide for themselves whether they want to believe or not. Two thousand years of Christian culture undergirds our civilisation. If our kids don’t learn that, they’ll plunge into incivility and ignorance. Give your kids the possibility to have the best chance at spiritual growth and cultural development.
29 July 2015
LITs Lugansk Information Centre
Voices from Russia 
26 April 2018. “Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA” Issues Delusionary Statement
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, EP, Moscow Patriarchate, Orthodox, Orthodoxy, political commentary, politics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, ROCOR, Russia, Russian, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian Civil War, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, United States, UPTs/MP, USA, war and conflict
This action may mean that the USA is losing in the Ukraine and is trying desperately to recover the situation. It seems ill-considered and hasty. Remember… Bart is a lapdog of Langley… look at the above image…
_________________________
Read this. This means that Bart may grant “autocephaly” to the uncanonical UPTs-KP. Bart is a creature of the American special services… the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been such ever since the CIA toppled Patriarch Emmanuel Vaportzis in 1948, as Patriarch Emmanuel was a socialist and an opponent of the American-fomented “Cold War” (the USA replaced him with the reliable lickspittle American Archbishop Athenagoras Spyrou). The Yanks may be planning something… remember, the fascist collaborator Galician Uniates and “Orthodox” have been on the Langley dole since the end of World War II. The fascist spymaster Gehlen brought them into the American service when he flipped sides in 1945… they served the German fascists loyally, they’ve been loyal running dogs for the American capitalists… no difference, really, is there?
This is absolute delusionary rubbish. This isn’t only a danger to the Ukraine and its loyal Orthodox Christians (85 percent of whom remain true to the canonical UPTs-MP), it’s a danger to the unity of the Orthodox Church. Not only is this disastrous in Church terms, it means that in secular terms, the USA is upping the ante in its gambit to take over the Ukraine and use it as a springboard to threaten Russia. I’d point up that this is laying the groundwork for a repeat of 1612 and 1709… both Poland and Sweden wanted to use traitorous elements in Malorossiya to attack Russia. The Hapsburgs wanted to use this scenario against Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries. That died with the end of the Dual Monarchy in 1918… then, as now, the Uniates were the main collaborator with the Westerners (the so-called “Ukrainian Orthodox” are mostly drawn from the same Galician cohort). One of my interlocutors put it this way:
This is beyond delusion… it’s a sign that things aren’t getting any better. It’s why the mood in Moscow is “grim” (how my local contacts put it). The mood isn’t depressed, it isn’t scared, it isn’t bitter… my contacts say “grim”… that is, serious… a sense of foreboding… but not yet a crisis, not yet an actual conflict, yet, the possibility of untoward events is too high for comfort. This has ramifications far beyond its religious setting. It’s a deliberate provocation and an increase in American aggression on Russia. The times are “grim”… my Russian interlocutors are right. I have no idea how this is going to end… no one does. In religious terms, it could end with a schism in the Orthodox Church at large and it could lead to the rupture of the union between the ROCOR and the Mother Church (the appointment of the CIA lickspittle Webster to the J’ville seminary doesn’t give much hope, does it?). In secular terms, it means that the USA may cross the line, which would force Russia’s hand.
As I say, this is a volatile situation. Bart was reckless in doing this. It sets up such an unstable situation, both religious and secular, that no one can really chart a reliable course. May God have mercy on us.
BMD