Poroshenko: representatives of ROC must leave Ukraine

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko

"Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church" must leave the state and "return" to Russia, said President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in a report at the International Conference "Lessons of the hybrid decade: what you need to know to successfully move forward". A video of the speech in which at 24:51 minute the head of state talks about religious issues in Ukraine was put on Facebook.

Poroshenko said that "the ROC is an element of the Russian political system". The President is confident that Vladimir Putin meant that when he called the Russian Orthodox Church a pillar on which Russia rests.

“My dear, you have nothing to do here. There is nothing for your Church to do, nothing for your armed forces, nothing for your weapons. Home. To Russia!” Poroshenko addressed “representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine”.

He stressed that he accepts the "principle of non-interference of the state in church activities, especially of a foreign state."

The President urged the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Churches not to delay the convocation of a “unification Council”. He also added that Ukraine has waited for the bestowal of the Tomos for long 1030 years, "right from the time of the Baptism of Rus".

On November 3, Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew signed a cooperation agreement.

Read also