President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on August 25, Ukraine’s Independence Day, following its approval by Parliament on August 20, where 265 MPs voted in favor and 29 opposed. This comes after a draft law was initially approved in October 2023, as reported by OIDAC.

The law follows rising concerns over the UOC’s affiliations and the alleged involvement of some UOC bishops and priests in activities threatening national security. However, religious freedom advocates and leaders have expressed significant concerns about the broad implications of banning an entire denomination.

Forum 18, a religious freedom watchdog group, criticized the blanket ban as “neither reasonable nor proportionate.” The organization also highlighted that while UOC clergy have been penalized for harsh rhetoric against the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU, recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), OCU clerics face less scrutiny for similar actions. Many UOC clergy have also been prosecuted for criticizing the OCU and state religious policies.

Pope Francis has voiced his concerns about religious freedom in Ukraine, emphasizing that all Christians should have the right to worship in the church of their choice. “Let those who want to pray be able to pray in the church they consider theirs,” he urged, adding that no Christian church should be abolished, directly or indirectly.

UOC Metropolitan Klyment defended the church, insisting it has no ties to “foreign centers” and accusing the bill of targeting the church’s property and discrediting those who support it. He asserted that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would continue to thrive as a legitimate church, recognized by the majority of practicing Ukrainian believers and churches worldwide.

Source: .evangelische-zeitung.de