On March 13, 2023, Elena Bogdan, ex-head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, in her column on Dialogue.TUT told what the true face of spiritual independence is, and also expressed her vision of the situation with Lavra.

“In the lower Lavra, on the territory of the monastery, there is the leading center of the UOC (Kiev Metropolis of the UOC) and the key scientific and educational institution of the UOC (Kiev Theological Academy). From the fact that they and the monastery with all the church workshops are forced to change their location, the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy will not come and the national security of Ukraine will not be strengthened,” Elena Bogdan is convinced.

She recalled that on March 10, the authorities offered the UOC to remove all people and all things from the church territory, which was expropriated by the state in Soviet times, and to which the church returned in 1988, by March 29. “By the way, imagine the number of people and things to be exported in two weeks: an administrative center, a scientific and educational institution, liturgical things, furniture, works of art, church workshops, up to 600 people in a residence,” said the former head of the State Service of Ukraine on ethnopolitics and freedom of conscience.

“Alive-healthy people post in social networks “Finally!” as a reaction to the demand to the UOC to release the Lower Lavra. They feel “on the side of the world.” Do these people think about how they feel in the context of such state decisions, the families and friends of those UOC believers who have already died on the front line? Those who returned from the front crippled? Those who are now on the front line? Those who collect humanitarian aid to the military and civilians? Those who pray for the victory of Ukraine?” she noted.

Elena Bogdan emphasized that since the political course towards “spiritual independence” was proclaimed on December 1, many believers of the UOC “naturally feel betrayed by their state, in addition to the long-standing shock from the flurry of absurdity that they see in social networks and the media.”

“True spiritual independence has a completely different face – more honest, thoughtful and humane,” she says.

The ex-official wonders if the authors of “Finally!” will ever understand that the headlines full of hatred for the UOC do not reflect the complex, uncomfortable truth of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, but instead create dangerous illusions that sink our society deeper into absurd and form serious risks in the long run? Including risks to national security.

“The sooner Ukrainian society begins to pay attention to the inconvenient truth of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in all its aspects, the more civilized, solidary and stronger it will be. And it can hardly afford to be different in the face of such a terrible external threat. To be a democratic state in which truth and law matter is what Ukrainians are fighting for, and what will consolidate the world in support of Ukraine,” the former head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience emphasized.

Elena Bogdan is convinced that “true spiritual independence and a reasonable embodiment of the slogan “We will not allow building an empire inside the Ukrainian soul” have nothing to do with attempts to ban religious association without proper systemic evidence, forcefully rename it, force it to join, extremely distorted presentation in the media or social networks, deprive them of access to churches, make believers and clergy feel legally insecure, label them as collectively responsible for the actions of certain people, ignore their contribution and their sacrifice in defense of Ukraine. Such methods do not develop strong legal states of free people in solidarity.