Amsterdam urges Patriarch Bartholomew to speak out on Bill 8371

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: RBC

The head of the international human rights firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP, lawyer for the UOC, Robert Amsterdam, wrote an open letter to Patriarch Bartholomew, asking him to comment on Bill 8371, which leads directly to the prohibition of the UOC, reports the Strana publication.

"In spite of the promise of Patriarch Bartholomew to respect all Ukrainian Orthodox confessions and promote an ecosystem of communion while granting tomos to newly created state-sponsored Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), his decision opened a Pandora's box. His silence over the escalating situation has made the UOC the target of a vicious and unlimited campaign of intimidation, perpetrated by the Ukrainian authorities," wrote Amsterdam.

The lawyer addressed the head of the Constantinople Patriarchate, urging him to fulfill his promise to "uphold order without tyranny, liberty without license, and justice yoked to mercy and compassion."

"With a view of his role in Orthodoxy and his previous action of having supported the creation of the new state-sponsored Church in Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew has a moral duty to speak up against 'dividing Christ', banning the UOC, and prosecution of Orthodox believers in Ukraine," said Robert Amsterdam.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier Robert Amsterdam commented on X on the "apoplectic" reaction of the media to the letters he had sent to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the possible adoption of Bill No. 8371.

Read also