"We feel that a process of dechristianization is taking place in Russia. Perhaps it is so because the Russian Orthodox Church is losing its religious authority."
This was stated by the Head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
"For example, official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia: how many Russians participated in Christmas services? Approximately 1%. If we compare how many Russians came to churches for Christmas over the past 3 years, it's a million less each year," noted the hierarch.
"What does this mean? That the percentage of practicing Christians is minimal. The lack of genuine church life, according to Russian state statistics, results in a powerful dechristianization effect. What the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia tried to present as a great revival of the church in independent Russia, we see that it is some kind of soap bubble," he added.
The Head of the UGCC also pointed out that the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, has no right to say that Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarusians are one people.
"In my opinion, there is no Christian content in those statements. These are purely geopolitical expressions and content. Why should the Patriarch of Moscow speak about who is a people and who is not? This is not within his competence. These are things that go beyond the functions of pastors," emphasized Patriarch Sviatoslav in the interview.