Ukraine moves to close Moscow-linked church in unprecedented step

Ukraine has taken the extraordinary step of banning the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate Church, citing its ties to russia and role in supporting aggression against the country.

Viktor Yelenskyi, head of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, stated during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine. 

The legislation, passed by the Verkhovna Rada in August last year, aims to protect Ukraine’s constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations. It labeled the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) “an ideological continuation of the criminal regime of russia, responsible for crimes against humanity.”

“This is a unique event. Churches have never been banned in Ukraine before, as the country has traditionally upheld a high degree of religious freedom. All religious organizations are equal before the law. The Verkhovna Rada took this step only because the russian Orthodox Church became complicit in the war and acted to undermine Ukrainian statehood, culture, and identity,” he noted. 

Yelenskyi noted that a government study confirmed the close ties between the UOC-MP and the russian Orthodox Church. The State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) sent an official order to the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church demanding compliance with the law “On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Organizations.” Metropolitan Onufriy, the head of the UOC-MP, has refused to comply with the order

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