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Local Orthodox Churches support UOC, international human rights activists silent — advisor

Archpriest Nikolay Balashov said that they must mention here the very resolute and courageous speeches of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, and some other bishops and archbishops from a number of local Orthodox Churches

MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Hierarchs of some local Orthodox Churches have voiced support for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), persecuted by Kiev, but international human rights organizations are keeping quiet about this, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, advisor to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, said on Friday.

"We are seeing support from hierarchs of a wide range of local Orthodox Churches. We must mention here the very resolute and courageous speeches of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, and some other bishops and archbishops from a number of local Orthodox Churches. However, as far as international human rights organizations are concerned, they are mostly silent," the priest said on Russian Rossiya-24 television channel.

The situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of the first monasteries in Russia and the oldest monastery on the territory of modern Ukraine, escalated in late March. The authorities severed the lease with the canonical Church and demanded that the monks leave the monastery. The UOC monks refused to give in to these demands, dubbing them illegal. Both sides took the case to court. Over the past two weeks, supporters of the UOC have gathered on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra every day to express their support for the monks.