Ukraine effectively banned its largest church over alleged links to Moscow
The ban on the largest church in Ukraine is “completely unacceptable” and is a violation of religious freedom, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.
Last week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed into law legislation enabling any religious group suspected of having ties to Russia to be banned. The bill threatens to effectively shut down the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the largest faith organization in the country. The UOC has historical ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
“This is a blatant attack on religious freedom, an attack on the Orthodox Church as a whole, an attack on Christianity,” Peskov said.
The presidential spokesman also pointed out that the bill has been criticized in many countries, including the Vatican.
Pope Francis commented on the new Ukrainian legislation last week, saying that he “fears for the freedom of those who pray,” and urged against abolishing any church.
“[Russia] obviously views [the ban] as completely unacceptable,” concluded Peskov.
The UOC was officially formed in 1990 as a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is the largest Orthodox church in Ukraine, with more than 8,000 parishes across the country. In May 2022, following the outbreak of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, it announced its full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate. Kiev, however, has used the UOC’s alleged links to Moscow to justify raids on church properties and arrests of priests.
The law, which will come into force in just under a month, gives the UOC nine months to sever all ties with the ROC.
Zelensky described his de-facto ban on the church as “a step towards liberation from Moscow’s devils.”
The Holy Synod of the ROC issued a statement comparing the new legislation with Soviet-style repression and other historical persecutions of Christians.
