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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged on Saturday to “strengthen Ukraine’s spiritual independence,” suggesting the country’s leadership is moving toward effectively banning an Orthodox branch with ties to Moscow.
Most Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox Christians, but the denomination is divided into a branch with traditional ties to the Russian Orthodox Church and an independent church recognized by the world’s Orthodox leadership since 2019.
The number of independent churches loyal to the Kiev Patriarchate has surged since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But a minority of churches linked to Moscow, which Ukrainian leaders accuse of abetting the invasion and trying to poison public opinion, retain influence.
“I just held a meeting, a preparatory meeting, to discuss decisions on strengthening the spiritual independence of Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
“We must deprive Moscow of the last chance to restrict Ukrainians’ freedom. And the decision must be 100% effective. We will ensure this.”
Last year, parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill that would ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence of “countries committing armed aggression against Ukraine.”
But attempts to submit a draft for final approval failed last month and the bill remains on hold.
The minority church said it severed all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, a staunch supporter of the Kremlin’s war effort, after the invasion, a claim Ukrainian leaders dispute.
Dozens of clerics have been charged with criminal offences, including treason, and at least one has been sent to Russia as part of a prisoner swap.
Some Ukrainian lawmakers also worry that the bill could face opposition from conservative Republicans in the United States, Ukraine’s biggest Western backer, on the grounds that it restricts religious freedom.
Read more by Euractiv
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