Sweden finds ROC activities to threaten national security

The flag of Sweden. Photo: RIA Novosti

Sweden's Agency for Support to Religious Communities has decided not to give any funding to the Russian Orthodox Church, accusing it of conducting intelligence gathering and other security-threatening activities, RIA Novosti reports.

"Based on the findings of the Swedish Security Police, the Agency for Support to Religious Communities has decided not to provide state support to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2024," the Swedish agency said in a statement.

The Agency claims that the ROC has been urged to support Russia's aggression in Ukraine. According to the statement of the Swedish state agency, "the use of a religious community as a platform for intelligence gathering and other actions threatening Sweden's security cannot be considered compatible with respect for democratic governance and following the fundamental principles of democracy".

As earlier reported, the Estonian authorities were expelling the head of the Estonian Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church from the country.

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