Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, criminal proceedings have been opened against more than 100 priests of the UOC MP.
The SBU press service reported this.
Of these, almost 50 received suspicion, 26 received court sentences.
The cases mostly concerned treason and justification of Russian aggression. But there were also priests who revealed the location of Ukrainian troops and directed Russian attacks.
Let us recall that on August 20, the Rada took the first step towards banning the activities of the Russian church in Ukraine – this, first of all, may concern the UOC MP. But the ban will not be immediate – first, the church will be given 9 months to break ties with Moscow.
As the head of the information and educational department of the UOC, Metropolitan Clement, stated in a comment to hromadske, the aforementioned bill “maybe prohibits the UOC MP, but the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not have the prefix MP.”
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will continue to live as a true church, recognized by the overwhelming majority of practicing Ukrainian believers and local churches of the world. Any attempts to prohibit an objective thing will lead to discreditation, including international, of those who want to implement it, the metropolitan believes.
He claims that the law that MPs voted for today is no longer about the church itself, but about its property. This situation reminds him of historical parallels with the communist past.
He also emphasized that this law concerns religious organizations affiliated with foreign centers. According to the bishop, the UOC has no administrative ties with foreign centers.
When asked whether the UOC MP plans to unite with the OCU, Bishop Clement noted that the UOC “has repeatedly called on the OCU to seek ways to unite Ukrainian Orthodoxy.”
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.