The head of the Russian Orthodox Church appealed to the UN to protect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Kirill assessed the bill banning religious organizations associated with Russia, adopted on Thursday by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the first reading. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) sent a message to the primates of local Orthodox churches and a number of religious figures, and also addressed representatives of international organizations. If the bill is adopted, the patriarch believes, it will make it possible to prohibit in court the activities of any religious communities on the territory of Ukraine if they are “affiliated” with foreign religious organizations.

“The initiators and supporters of the adoption of this bill in Ukraine – top-level government officials, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, radical politicians and public figures – do not hide that the bill is directed against the largest religious community in Ukraine and aims to eliminate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a centralized structure, as well as all its dioceses, parishes and monasteries separately,” the patriarch said. “The adoption of this bill was preceded by a whole set of measures directed against the canonical Church in Ukraine: a slanderous anti-church campaign in the national media, seizures of churches with the use of gross violence against the clergy and believers, incitement numerous falsified criminal cases, pressure on the episcopate from the secret services, attempts to seize the cradle of Russian monasticism – the Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and other major monasteries with the forced eviction of their inhabitants, as well as a wave of forced closure by local authorities of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a ban on its services , seizure of land plots occupied by its monasteries, temples and shrines.”

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church called for support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The message was sent to the primates of local Orthodox churches, Pope Francis, Patriarch of the Coptic Church Tawadros II, Head of the Anglican Communion Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Catholicos of the East and Metropolitan of Malankara Basil Mar Thomas Matthew III, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II, Catholicos of the Supreme House of Cilicia of Armenians Apostolic Church Aram I, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Mar Ave III, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East Bechara Boutros al-Rai, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches Dr. Jerry Pillay, President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Franklin Graham.

At the same time, the patriarch addressed the leaders and representatives of international organizations. “I ask you to take all possible measures to prevent the continuation of mass violations of the religious rights of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, including in the form of discussing the current situation within the framework of the agenda of the organization you head, preparing specialized reports, as well as sending special missions to establish the facts “, the message says.

The message was sent, in particular, to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Matteo Mecacci, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance K. P. Ashwini, Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on freedom of religion or belief Nazila Ghani.

Pavel Korobov