Patriarch Sviatoslav: "Through buying-selling votes – they are selling our Motherland, our future"

Saturday, 08 September 2012, 21:16
Through buying-selling votes – they are selling our Motherland, our future. Such an opinion was expressed by His Beatitude Sviasoslav (Shevchuk), the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in the interview with the editorial “Ukrainian truth”.

According to him, Ukrainian voters today are “driven into the despair”.  “And instead of ensuring those people with the normal living conditions, they are given some sop, which is worth one hundredth part of what actually belongs to them. But, unfortunately, our people are so gullible. They are easily tricked by those sops”, - states His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

Moreover, he believes that the corruption is one of those significant factors that prevent Ukraine from holding the fair elections.  “The fact that someone buys votes and someone else is willing to sell them, - is this glaring example of corruption. There are always two participants in each corruption. Perhaps that is the main reason for why the corruption is becoming so evident during the elections. Not that long ago I have heard the phrase “cheap voters”. This phrase made me think: how much should they despise the voters, so as to talk of them like that”,- says the Head of the Church.

In his opinion, while demanding the government to hold fair elections, citizens should in  no circumstances be abdicant of their responsibilities.

As to what concerns election campaigning on the part of clergy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav reiterated that the priest cannot directly indicate for whom to vote. “It is not his responsibility, because the priest should indicate on the eternal truths that are to be introduced into the public life, particularly, when it comes to the civic responsibility to educate people. And when denoting them for whom specifically they should vote, he will dictate them certain behavior, and thus, will perceive the faithful people to be like an incompetent children, who still cannot tell the difference between good and bad on their own”, - he believes.

The UGCC during the Synod decided to forbid priests the campaigning for elections. If the clergy does it, then it will fall under disciplinary action.

According to the Head of the Church, he approaches his choice with the particular responsibility.

“I am trying hard not to be gullible and not to be distracted by any minor issues. I try to analyze: whether the distinct political power is able to make any changes in the country or not. That is why I would like to see the program of the election association so as to make my decision. And for me, as for an ordinary voter it is not that simple today”, - concluded His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

UGCC Department of Information

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