Kyiv attacks religious freedom in the Kremlin

Ukraine has effectively banned its largest church because of alleged ties to Moscow

The impending ban on Ukraine's largest church is “completely unacceptable” and represents a violation of religious freedom, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

Last week, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a law that allows for the banning of any religious group suspected of having ties to Russia. The law threatens to effectively shut down the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the country's largest religious community. The UOC has historical ties to 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 draft law had met with criticism in many countries, including the Vatican.

Commenting on the new Ukrainian legislation last week, Pope Francis said he “fears for the freedom of those who pray” and advised against the abolition of any church.

“[Russia] obviously views [the ban] as completely unacceptable,” concluded Peskov.

The UOC was officially established 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, after the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv broke out, it proclaimed its full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate. However, Kyiv has used the UOC's alleged ties to Moscow to justify raids on church premises and arrests of priests.

The law, which comes into force in less than 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.”

In a statement, the Holy Synod of the Republic of China compares the new legislation to Soviet-style oppression of Christians and other historical persecutions of Christians.

(RT.com)