Ukraine: Lawmakers vote to ban Orthodox Church connected to Moscow
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Ukrainian lawmakers have given overwhelming approval to the first reading of a bill that would ban the minority Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on the alleged grounds that it has collaborated with Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports. The bill passed by 267-15 votes in favor.
Most Ukrainian Christians belong to the similarly named Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) which was formed in 2018 from two denominations that have no connection to Moscow.
Lawmakers who back the bill contend that, while the UOC claims it is no longer aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, it still has connections to Russia, Reuters reports. The UOC has denied the allegation and claims the proposed law violates the European Convention on Human Rights and Ukraine’s constitution.
The law would ban the activities of religious groups affiliated with centers of influence “in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine,” Reuters said. The law now has to pass a second reading and then be approved and signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a statement quoted by The Kyiv Independent, lawmaker Iryna Herashchenko of the European Solidarity Party said: “[The new law] is not about religion or church, but about protecting the national security of Ukraine. It’s about the fact that the church, which has a metropolis in Moscow, is not really a church, but a branch of the FSB (Russian security services). And it can be banned in court.”