Govt Explains What’s Wrong with Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has provided clarification on the issue surrounding the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Ukraine.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

The ministry recalled that on 20 August 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law ‘On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organisations.’ This law prohibits the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on the territory of Ukraine, as it is considered an ideological continuation of the aggressor state's regime and an accomplice to war crimes. 

According to the new law, religious organisations that have ties with the ROC must sever those ties. If this requirement is met, the provisions of the law prohibiting the activities of organisations affiliated with the ROC will not apply to that religious organisation.

The ministry emphasised that the law does not provide for an automatic ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, despite a religious studies expert opinion in early 2023 that established that the UOC is part of the ROC.

If a religious organisation refuses to leave, the government goes to court, and only the court decides on its termination, which is in line with the principles of a democratic society.

"Ukraine does not require the UOC to change its doctrine, liturgical practices, language of worship or calendar. The only requirement is to leave the ROC, which is a participant in the war against Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have every reason to restrict the subversive activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, similar to how, historically, in the American colonies, the Anglican Church was renamed the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, emphasising the break with the ‘hostile’ Church. This is also comparable to European restrictions, such as the ban on burqas or the construction of minarets," the Ministry of Culture said.

It stressed that the above-mentioned law is not aimed at banning any church operating in Ukraine, but only prevents religious organisations from being subordinate to centres working to destroy Ukrainian statehood. Other churches, such as the Old Believers and the True Orthodox Church, have already severed ties with centres in the aggressor country.

‘Therefore, the law does not ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but only prohibits religious organisations on the territory of Ukraine from being subordinate to the Russian Church, which has declared a “holy war” against Ukraine,’ the ministry emphasises.