Deputy Head of MP DECR: We hope religious freedom to be restored in Ukraine
Archpriest Nikolai Balashov
The Russian Orthodox Church hopes that international norms regarding the maintenance of religious freedom will be restored in Ukraine. It was said by Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate on Tuesday, April 23, reports TASS.
Commenting on the decision of the Kiev District Administrative Court to satisfy the claim of the Kiev Metropolis against the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and halt the process of forced renaming the UOC, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov noted that “this is certainly a positive step.”
“We will closely monitor the further consideration of this lawsuit, as well as the appeals of 49 MPs of the Verkhovna Rada, previously accepted for consideration by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. We hope for the restoration of the action in Ukraine of internationally accepted norms relating to ensuring religious freedom,” said the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
As the UOJ reported, the Kiev District Administrative Court halted the process of involuntary renaming of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the judges, amending the name of the UOC at the present time (before the court decision on the case) may lead to unjustified state intervention in the affairs of the religious organization.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.