Orthodox Christian Church accuses Kiev of Soviet-style repression
Ukraine’s parliament has passed a bill that would allow authorities to ban any religious community deemed to have ties to Moscow | Ukraine’s latest legislation, which aims to grant the government the right to ban any church or religious community with suspected ties to Russia, is akin to Soviet-style repression, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) said in a statement on Thursday. ● Earlier this week, Ukrainian MPs approved the bill, which is seen by the ROC as directly targeted against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Despite the UOC officially declaring full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, Kiev has nevertheless repeatedly accused the church and its clergy of maintaining ties to Moscow. The legislation also outright bans the ROC and all affiliated religious institutions from operating in Ukraine.
■ Kiev’s Plan To Ban The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Shows How Insecure It Is About National Identity (A. Korybko)