UOC Legal Dept assesses the disperse of liturgy in Horodenka by the police
Horodenka, Ivano-Frankivsk region. Photo: photodocumentalist
The Legal Department of the UOC commented on the publication available on the website of the Horodenka city council, Ivano-Frankivsk region, where on August 2, it was reported that the police had dispersed the worship of the UOC community in a private house.
Lawyers recalled that “no Law in Ukraine prohibits gathering and praying anywhere indoors or outdoors, but the Law prohibits any interference with such prayer instead.”
The Legal Department stated that the actions of the authorities and the police are completely illegal, since "according to the legislation of Ukraine, local governments are not empowered to prohibit the conduct of worship or prayer."
“We call on and demand from the central executive authorities, including the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, and law enforcement agencies to take actions aimed at stopping illegal actions by officials of local governments of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, violation of the constitutional rights of believers in the region, as well as the cessation of actions aimed at inciting hostility and hatred,” the statement said.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that in Horodenka, the police obstructed the worship of the UOC community in a private house.
Read also
Met. Varsonofiy сelebrates Liturgy at persecuted UOC parish in Stryzhavka
A UOC hierarch officiated the Nativity service and offered prayers for peace in Ukraine.
Seized Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr transferred from UOC to OCU control
Huz stated that after being handed to the OCU, the Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr will be “Ukrainian and alive”.
In Brussels, Cardinal Parolin urges Europe to remember its Christian roots
The Vatican Secretary of State spoke at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula on the occasion of its eight-hundredth anniversary and recalled Europe’s spiritual mission.
388 mln Christians face persecution and discrimination over faith – report
The organization Portes Ouvertes has published research findings concluding that pressure on believers worldwide has intensified.
Archbishop of Albania: Orthodoxy is a key pillar of Albania’s European path
During a visit to Brussels, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church underscored the importance of Orthodoxy for the country’s integration into the EU and for maintaining interreligious balance in society.
His Beatitude leads divine service at Lavra on Circumcision of the Lord feast
During the festive service at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, special prayers were offered for peace on the Ukrainian land and for God’s blessing upon the new year.