Filenews 3 December 2022
A law banning the operation in Ukraine of churches under the Moscow patriarchate is being prepared by the government of Volodymyr Zelensky as part of moves Kiev deems necessary to prevent Moscow from "weakening from within" the country.
Orthodox Christians make up the bulk of Ukraine's population of 43 million and for years were under the authority of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate. However, in 2019 Orthodox leaders internationally officially recognized the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, resulting in a split in the Ukrainian Orthodox community between those who are still faithful in Moscow and those who joined the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Many parishes and priests, mainly in eastern Ukraine, remained under the umbrella of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which in May officially severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church due to the invasion of Ukraine. However, Kiev is concerned that the latter may continue to facilitate the infiltration of Moscow agents into the rear.
And so as part of the crackdown on Moscow-linked churches, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council urged the country's government to draft the law after conducting a series of raids on parishes and monasteries believed to receive orders from Moscow amid the Russia-Ukraine war. The security council also ordered investigations into suspected "subversive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine's religious environment" and called for sanctions against unidentified individuals.
"We must create conditions where no actor, depending on the aggressor state (Russia) will have the opportunity to manipulate the Ukrainians and weaken Ukraine from within," Zelensky said in his address Thursday. "We will never allow anyone to build an empire within the Ukrainian soul."
Reactions from Russia
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described the Kiev authorities as "Satanists" and "enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith." "This is how the entire Christian world should treat them," he wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
While a representative of the Russian church, Vladimir Legoida, wrote on Telegram that the Ukrainian president's proposal goes against both International Law and common sense.
Source: ANA-MPA
