Serbian Orthodox Church: In Ukraine, Church Is Being Persecuted Like in Soviet Times

Bishop of Backa Irinej (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

In Ukraine, the Church is being directly persecuted like in the worst Soviet times, when there were just two temples that performed the divine service in the territory of that country, Bishop of Backa Irinej said on April 7.

In an interview with Russia Today in Serbian, the bishop said that the dominant opinion among Orthodox peoples was that the war was "more just or completely just on the side of Russia," while he believed the West had been the one to seek war, not Russia.

"We cannot in the name of that view say: 'Let Ukrainians suffer.' They did not ask for that, rather it was decided for them. Which we also see in our own history," he said.