"Miriane" calls on Ukrainian authorities to strictly observe Constitution

Believers of the UOC during a religious procession in Kyiv. Photo: mospat.ru

On June 30, 2021, representatives of “Miriane” (Laity – Trans.) organization called on the Ukrainian authorities to strictly observe the country's Constitution.

In a resolution published on the Miriane's telegram channel, the participants of the round table "The Basic Law of Ukraine and its Application to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" said that over the past seven years in Ukraine there have been numerous violations of the rights of citizens to freedom of religion and the principle of separation of the Church from the state, enshrined in Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was subjected to unprecedented discrimination.

“The consequences of granting the OCU Tomos of autocephaly were the persecution of the laity and the clergy of the UOC, numerous facts of church raiding,” the document says.

The participants of the round table paid particular attention to the fact that "over the past two years the state has rudely interfered in the internal affairs of the UOC and infringed on the freedom of religion in general."

Thus, "Law No. 2662-VIII, contrary to the requirements of the Constitution of Ukraine regarding the separation of Church from state, provides for the forced renaming of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and Law No. 2673-VIII was adopted with the aim of legalizing illegal practices of changing the jurisdiction of religious organizations of the UOC."

Also, according to the participants of the round table, "the invitation by the President of Ukraine of Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople to Kyiv to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence is a violation of this constitutional principle."

“The lay people of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are concerned that the arrival of the Patriarch of Constantinople to Ukraine could provoke mass seizures of churches, lead to a new wave of violence and confrontation in the country on religious grounds,” the resolution says.

“Considering the above, we, the participants of the round table, relying on the expressed expert opinions, appeal through the mass media to the President of Ukraine, MPs of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, deputies of local councils and officials of all levels to pay special attention to the need for strict observance of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, stressed the participants in the event.

They also asked representatives of the media and civil society to support these demands in order to prevent a possible escalation of sectarian conflicts.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to the lawyers of the Union of Orthodox Lawyers, the order in the parish documents will help stop illegal re-registration.

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