Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church responds to ban on Russian-linked religious organisations in Ukraine

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — Tuesday, 20 August 2024, 16:14

In response to a recent ban on Russian-linked religious organisations in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has said that it will continue its work as a church and that any attempts to ban it from operating in Ukraine might discredit those behind the attempts.

Source: Metropolitan Klyment, Head of the Information and Education Department of the UOC-MP, in a comment for Hromadske

Details: Metropolitan Klyment said that the Bill No. 8371 "might ban the UOC-MP in Ukraine", but stressed that the UOC does not have "MP" in its name.

"The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will continue operating as a true church recognised by the overwhelming majority of practising believers in Ukraine and by local churches around the world. It is an objective thing. Any attempts to ban this objective thing will only discredit, including internationally, those who will try to do this," Metropolitan Klyment said.

He insisted that the bill that was voted into law by members of the Ukrainian parliament today is not concerned with the church itself but rather with its property. He added that this reminds him of the communist past.

Metropolitan Klyment stressed that the "UOC does not have administrative connections with any foreign centres" and that "there is no single Ukrainian document" that would confirm these connections.

When asked whether the UOC-MP is planning to merge with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Klyment said that the UOC "has on many occasions called on the OCU to find ways to unite Orthodoxy in Ukraine" but "has not received any meaningful response".

For reference: According to the Security Service of Ukraine, criminal proceedings have been opened against more than 100 UOC-MP clerics since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Almost 50 of them have been notified of suspicion, and 26 have received court sentences.

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