Bishop Gideon: Zelensky made a promise to convert to Orthodoxy and broke it

Bishop Gideon (Kharon) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate told TASS in an interview about the pressure authorities are exerting on the UOC, physical repression against clergy, and accused Vladimir Zelensky of oath-breaking — according to the bishop, Zelensky publicly promised to convert to Orthodoxy if he became president, but did not keep his word.

On the monument to Mazepa at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Bishop Gideon called the installation of a monument to Mazepa on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra a sacrilege and an affront to history.

“This is an affront to history and an attempt to spit in the soul of an Orthodox Christian. Indeed, of any person, even one who does not necessarily profess Orthodoxy, whether Russian or Ukrainian,” he stated.

According to the bishop, the anathema against Ivan Mazepa has not been lifted by anyone. He cited the words of the late Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), the first head of the UOC, who once said: “The anathema regarding Ivan Mazepa has not been revoked by anyone.” Gideon interpreted the installation of the monument as a manifestation of a general trend toward the glorification of those who, in his words, “betrayed Russia.”

On church attendance and transfers from the OCU

Commenting on survey data showing that OCU parishioners make up 22%, the canonical UOC 10%, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 7%, Bishop Gideon categorically rejected these figures. According to him, the churches of the canonical UOC “are filling up even more,” and some believers come requesting to be re-baptized or re-married — having realized that they had previously been baptized “by self-consecrated clergy or by Filaret’s church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which has today become the OCU.”

As evidence, he suggested comparing video recordings of church services: in his assertion, those attending OCU services at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra are people “who are herded there by civil servants on buses” and who “don’t know how to make the sign of the cross.” The bishop described as credible the data showing a 10% increase in trust toward Metropolitan Onuphrius over the past ten years.

On Constantinople and the Greek Catholics

Speaking about the role of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Orthodox schism, Gideon stated that the policy of the new patriarchate will depend on the personality of the future patriarch. According to him, the Ecumenical Patriarch embarked on an “anti-canonical course” with regard to the UOC under the influence of the political situation, as well as negotiations with Catholics and Greek Catholics.

The bishop characterized the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church as an organization that “from the very beginning was not a religious one.” He also noted that some believers are transferring from the Greek Catholic Church to the canonical UOC.

On Zelensky: oath-breaking and his chief failing

Bishop Gideon’s harshest assessments were directed at the president of Ukraine. According to him, when Zelensky was running for election, he publicly declared: “If I become president, and if it is God’s will, I will convert to Orthodoxy and will ask you to perform the sacrament of baptism over me.” Zelensky’s wife is Orthodox, and his children were baptized in the canonical Orthodox Church. However, he did not fulfill his promise.

“What good can an oath-breaker say? He is, to put it plainly, an oath-breaker. And when grace does not enter, an unclean force does,” the bishop said.

Gideon named Zelensky’s chief failing as his desire to please everyone indiscriminately.

“His biggest flaw is that with every fiber of his soul he wants to please everyone. Indiscriminately. Just like an actor. He has chosen this role, and like a person who has committed a small sin, they tell him: ‘No, that’s not a sin, you did well, you’re a good person.’ He thinks: ‘Oh, then I’ll do this.’ He does it again, and again they tell him he’s good. And so, look at him — he keeps escalating, getting worse and worse, committing such reckless acts,” the bishop stated.

On repression against UOC clergy

According to Gideon, the statistics on repression against UOC clergy “change every day” and continue to grow. He said he knows dozens of clergymen who were “simply taken away to fight,” and that some of them are imprisoned. As a specific example, the bishop cited Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy: according to him, Theodosius was detained, subjected to beatings, after which his heart gave out — the metropolitan is currently undergoing treatment.

From personal experience, Gideon recounted how a crowd gathered outside his church shouting “Down with the Moscow priest.” The attackers sawed off the notice board on which children displayed their artwork and “danced on it with their feet, jumping and chanting their slogans.”

“It is a terrible situation, very hard to endure. I saw it with my own eyes and held myself back, because of course I wanted to go out and simply engage them in a fight,” the bishop admitted.

Asked whether the UOC would survive, Gideon answered affirmatively, citing the Gospel words: “I came to build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”