Voters should check whom they elect, and populists should be punished, says His Beatitude Liubomyr

The spiritual leader of Ukrainians regrets that still there are many candidates who are willing to buy votes, and a lot of people who are willing to sell their votes. “We are to make the vote responsible yet. I realized that still a lot of buckwheat and sugar are being distributed, unfortunately.”

His Beatitude Liubomyr said that “in addition to financial bribery there is also a thing called populism.” “I would call it empty words. The Scriptures say: they will be punished for every idle word. The populism is exactly this kind of words, when a person gets persuaded not through material arguments, but just by simple words”, he said.

At the same time, the Archbishop said that many people have regained awareness after the Maidan and understood who they are, but still there is a need to foster it. “In many ways, it also depends on the Church.  It has no right to meddle with politics. The Church has no right to preach for a particular candidate, but must preach knowledge and human values​​, because this is a part of God's truth: what kind of person shall be the one who undertakes the MP’s commitment and what kind of person shall be the one who elects him. The Church is to tell the people: do not sell your souls, do not sell your votes, make sure that you will not have to be ashamed before yourselves, your children and grandchildren for the way you behaved,” he said.

He also noted that it is justified when the citizens check the candidate. “This is about learning objective truth, speaking and acting according to this truth,” said His Beatitude.

“The voters should be prepared to compare and check whom they elect. We lack political culture, the feeling that I am an ordinary citizen who will not enter the political structure, but bears the same responsibility for everything,” says the Archbishop. This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.