Yelensky assures that Ukraine is a model of freedom of religion
Yelensky knows no other country where religious freedom is breathed in so freely. Photo: the DESS website.
Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Ethnopolitics Service, stated at a conference on the occasion of World Religion Day that Ukraine is an example of religious freedom, as reported on the DESS website.
He claimed that on the occupied territories, Ukrainian believers suffer from persecution. But in the Ukrainian-controlled lands, according to him, the situation is allegedly quite different.
"Today, religious freedom in Ukraine is not just a slogan; it is put into practice and is an unprecedented example of cooperation among various religious organizations in the modern world," said the official.
He complained that in Brussels, ROC representatives spoke about religious persecutions in Ukraine and criticized bill No 8371 on banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In response, the head of DESS clarified that "this law is not discriminatory; it does not prohibit religion but is aimed at protecting against the influence of the administrative centre of the religious organisation of the aggressor state."
According to him, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church must sever its administrative ties with Moscow; otherwise, "state authorities will seek through the court the cessation of its existence".
As reported, the SBI opened a criminal case against the leadership of the State Ethnopolitics Service.
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.