Ukraine Passes Law Banning 'Pro-Russian Orthodox Church'
Completely Cuts Ties with Russian Orthodox Church
Some Clergy Cooperated with Russian Invasion
Opposition Claims It Takes Away 'Religious Freedom'
The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill banning the activities of Orthodox Church organizations within the country that are linked to the Russian Orthodox Church or show pro-Russian tendencies, signaling a potential expansion of the war between the two countries into a religious conflict. Officially, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been independent from the Russian Orthodox Church since 2019, but many churches still maintained ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Law Banning Activities of Pro-Russian Orthodox Churches Passed... Exchange with Russian Orthodox Church Prohibited
According to local Ukrainian media such as the Kyiv Independent, on the 20th (local time), the Ukrainian parliament approved a bill banning the activities of Russian Orthodox Church organizations within Ukraine, Ukrainian Orthodox Church organizations maintaining relations with them, and pro-Russian Orthodox organizations. Under this bill, a committee will also be established to monitor whether regional churches maintain relations with Russia or engage in pro-Russian activities.
With the passage of this bill, all Orthodox churches in Ukraine that had maintained relations with Russia even after the war are now compelled to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Traditionally, both Russia and Ukraine belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was under the Moscow Patriarchate, so exchanges between the two countries' Orthodox churches continued even after the war began.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially separated from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2019 when the Kyiv Metropolitanate declared independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, but many churches still maintained relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. In the currently Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, pro-Russian Orthodox organizations have continued their activities.
Many Religious Figures Cooperated with Russian Invasion... Orthodox Church Used as Spy Base
The reason the Ukrainian parliament took such a tough stance is that internal pro-Russian Orthodox organizations have been used like private Russian intelligence agencies. Some diocesan priests have incited local residents or even engaged in espionage activities, leading to calls for comprehensive crackdowns on them.
According to The New York Times, last year, Russian propaganda materials and xenophobic books were seized from some regional Orthodox church buildings identified as pro-Russian, and dozens of priests were arrested. Additionally, Archbishop Pavlo, the head of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra who was found to have links with Russia, was placed under house arrest. During Russia's 2014 invasion of the Crimean Peninsula, Orthodox church dioceses, monasteries, and churches in the Crimean area reportedly assisted the Russian military invasion.
While some within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church express concerns that the new parliamentary bill excessively interferes with religious freedom, the majority of the public is reported to support the bill. According to a public opinion poll conducted in April by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 63% of Ukrainians supported the bill banning the activities of pro-Russian Orthodox organizations.
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