Law Dept on MIA head's statement: UOC isn't a subsidiary or branch of ROC

Archpriest Alexander Bakhov. Photo: law.church.ua

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not a subsidiary or a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church and is led by Christ. This is how the head of the UOC Legal Department, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, commented on an interview with Alexei Reznikov, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, in which he explained why the draft law on state transition policy included renaming the Church.

The priest's comment was published on the website of the UOC Legal Department.

Noting the Deputy Prime Minister's words that "if you do not recognize Ukrainian jurisdiction, you will need to indicate who your immediate supervisor is," the head of the UOC's Legal Department stressed that "some think in terms of business and apply the economic model to church relations", but this approach to church life is wrong.

“The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not a subsidiary or a branch and does not have economic or financial-administrative relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. Religious organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are registered in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine. The founder of the UOC is the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, i.e. bishops, priests and laity living in Ukraine. Its governing bodies are located in Kyiv, and we have Christ as our chief,” Archpriest Alexander Bakhov reminded.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the bill on the state policy of the transition period in the de-occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea duplicated the provisions of the scandalous law on the forced renaming of the Church, which is currently under consideration in the Constitutional Court.

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