We, representatives of the Media Movement Media for Conscious Choice and Ukrainian media NGOs, condemn the appeal by Primate of the UOC of Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy to parishioners to come to church for Easter during the coronavirus outbreak. We call on the Ukrainian authorities and media to increasingly inform the citizens about the dangers of such statements by the UOC-MP and the risk of getting infected in public places during quarantine.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government has banned mass events in Ukraine, including religious assemblies. On the eve of Easter, most church leaders call on believers to stay home and watch worship services online.
Instead, the Primate of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, Onufriy, stated in his address dated April 14, 2020 that anyone could come to the church service and pray outside, in accordance with sanitary norms.
We consider such a statement to be an inspired sabotage against the Ukrainian people. By coming to church, the parishioners put in mortal danger not only themselves but also their children, parents, neighbors, and healthcare workers — everyone around them. This will eliminate all quarantine measures having to harm the economy for the sake of the health of Ukrainians. The further spread of COVID-19 due to dense concentration of people in churches will affect not only the citizens’ health, but also Ukraine’s image. A government failing to respond to the challenges of a pandemic will lose credibility both inside the country and among international partners and investors.
We call on the Ukrainian authorities to strengthen public awareness of the need to celebrate Easter at home without attending church during the outbreak. We understand the delicate situation of the Ukrainian government wanting to avoid accusations of interfering with the religious communities’ social life. But what is transpiring now is nothing more than an attempt by the Kremlin to shift responsibility for future deaths of Ukrainian citizens of various denominations to Ukrainian government.
We ask the Ukrainian media to show social responsibility telling their audiences about the dangers of violating quarantine. Presently, attending church endangers the health and lives of Ukrainians increasing the burden on the economy. Someone has to pay for the treatment of patients, and it is done by the taxpayers in the case of public funds. Mass infection of believers could have catastrophic consequences.
NGO Internews Ukraine
NGO Detector Media
Souspilnist Foundation
Dmytro Krapyvenko, editor-in-chief of Ukrayinskyi Tyzhden (Ukrainian Week) magazine
NGO Institute of Mass Information
Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM)
Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy
Human Rights Platform
NGO Ukrainian Media and Communication Institute
NGO Regional Press Development Institute
