The Ukrainian Parliament approved the first reading of a bill that provides for the illegalization of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with historical links to Moscow. Kiev accuses the religious organization of being “pro-Russian” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate – as it continues to be called in Ukraine by its opponents, despite having renounced this association – claims to have severed ties with the mother Church in Russia.
But for Ukraine, the break is insufficient, as the institution continues to depend on the Russian Patriarchate.
The law, approved in the first instance by 267 deputies before a second vote, aims to prohibit the operation on Ukrainian territory of religious organizations “affiliated” with institutions of a State that is carrying out aggression against Ukraine, several Ukrainian deputies reported online social.
In a statement published on Facebook, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate accuses the law of violating the Ukrainian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
