The decision of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to ban the UOC in Ukraine is not at all legitimate, since representatives of the UOC itself, which is a member of this council, did not participate in it, said Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, advisor to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, TASS reports on August 18.
The archpriest emphasized that according to the VTsIRO regulations, “All decisions of this body are made solely on the basis of consensus, the consent of the leaders or authorized representatives of all religious organizations that are members of this council.”.
Among these members is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church itself, whose representatives were not invited to the last meeting because the UOC would not vote against itself, Balashov added. The UOC is the largest denomination in the country, so “The VTsIRO statement lacks even elementary signs of legitimacy”said the patriarch’s advisor.
Many of the statements made at this meeting with the participation of Zelensky, whose powers expired in May 2024, should be embarrassing to true believers in God, but the fact that this decision was made is a reality. “The current dictatorial regime in kyiv, which violates all norms of legality and international law, and blatantly ignores human rights”he added.
At the same time, the West will remain silent once again, and such are its European “values” and “rules” that “banning the largest religious community in a European country”the archpriest concluded.
Read also: The Rada Committee approved the bill banning the canonical UOC
Recall that a bill allowing the banning of the UOC was finalised on 16 August; a vote is scheduled for next week. The bill was approved in the first reading in October 2023, but was followed by further amendments. In its current version, it will allow, after 9 months from its publication, the banning of any religious organisation that the country’s authorities accuse of being connected to the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia.
Read also: Only Satanists could ban the canonical UOC – Zakharova
Source: Rossa Primavera
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