Belarusian priest: Russian fascism shows up in Ukraine

The Russian Orthodox Church, remaining an imperialist, aggressive one, would never agree to relations of equity with fraternal peoples, Ukrainians or Belarusians, Leanid Akalovich believes.

“Putin, his clique, his junta, call Russian fascism ‘peace-building’,” a priest of the Belarusian Autocephalous Church Leanid Akalovich in his conversation with Belsat TV channel.

As said by the priest, every nation should have its national church. “But it is not beneficial for the Russian church to emphasize that, as then people would go out of control of the invaders’ Moscow Church. So those who promote the national church, contributes to independence and revival of motherland,” Father Leanid said.

An attempt of Metropolitan Pavel seek self-governance, possessed by for example Moldovan, Estonian and Ukrainian churches, ended with a defeat for the Belarusian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate.

“Metropolitan stated that it is impossible to speak about self-rule for the next 25-50 years, and it means – ever. And the Russian Orthodox Church, remaining an imperial church of invaders, would probably never agree to fraternal relations, Christian relations, relations of equity with its fraternal peoples, Ukrainians or Belarusians,” Father Leanid noted.

In early 20th century a Russian philosopher Berdyaev called such an attitude of a part of the Russian nation “Russian fascism”, stressed the representative of the Belarusian Autocephalous Church.