President discusses ban on UOC-MP in Ukraine with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
21 August 23:18
After the ban on the Russian Church in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
The head of state stressed the importance of the new law on spiritual independence, supported by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, and stressed that “an independent people must be independent spiritually as well.”
“I assured him that our state seeks to strengthen Orthodoxy in Ukraine and promote an open dialogue between churches,” Zelensky added.
The President also expressed gratitude to His All-Holiness for his prayers for Ukraine and for his unwavering support of our people.
“We have jointly positively assessed the development of our cooperation, in particular the recent productive visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and expressed mutual expectations for a reciprocal visit of the Patriarchate,” Zelenskyy said.
It should be noted that on 20 August, the Verkhovna Rada banned the activities of religious organisations in Ukraine that have ties with Russia. The decision was made without discussion. Communities of the UOC-MP will have 9 months to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
The majority of votes in favour came from the Servants of the People. The Platform for Life and Peace faction received the most votes against. In total, 265 MPs supported the decision.
The law will come into force 30 days after its publication. But except for one point – according to it, the communities of the UOC-MP will have nine months to break ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Thus, the law establishes
- restrictions on religious organisations to have ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine;
- defines what exactly is meant by such ties;
- provides a time limit within which Ukrainian organisations must break these ties;
- defines the procedure for state supervision over compliance with this requirement;
- gives state authorities the authority to interact with religious organisations that were unable or unwilling to comply with the law.
On 23 July, MPs blocked the rostrum in the Verkhovna Rada , demanding consideration of a bill to completely ban the UOC-MP in Ukraine. Parliamentary sessions scheduled for next week were cancelled.
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Consciencecalls on the Verkhovna Rada to eliminate legislative spam and other nonsense in the draft law banning the activities of religious organisations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine before the second reading.
Banning the UOC-MP
on 19 October 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported a bill to ban the UOC-MP in the first reading. At that time, 267 MPs voted in favour. The bill in question is draft law No. 8371 on the ban on religious organisations associated with Russia.
It provides for the impossibility of religious organisations operating in Ukraine that are managed from the aggressor country. The amendments give the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience additional powers:
- ensuring the implementation of the state policy on religions and the church by conducting religious studies expertise of the activities of religious organisations to identify subordination in canonical and organisational matters with the centres of influence of a religious organisation (association) whose governing centre (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine
- issuing orders to eliminate violations identified as a result of a religious expertise within one month from the date of issuance of such an order
- filing a claim with the court to terminate the activities of a religious organisation in case of its failure to comply with the orders to eliminate violations identified as a result of religious expertise.