Poturaev: DESS will not sue all UOC communities

MP Mykyta Poturaev. Photo: Hromadske

The head of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian Policy, MP from the Servant of the People party Mykyta Poturaev, stated that the State Ethopolitics Service of Ukraine (DESS) will not sue thousands of UOC communities simultaneously following the adoption of Law 8371, which effectively bans the UOC. He shared this information with RBC-Ukraine.

The MP has outlined a plan for combating the Church:

“DESS conducted a study, and based on its results, it was found that there are signs of affiliation. There can be no tens of thousands of lawsuits. DESS will not sue all the parishes simultaneously. The main affiliations are at the top, that is clear. The main struggle will unfold there. And this is if they themselves do not sever these connections because in that case, there would be no need to go to court,” Poturaev explained.

Poturaev mentioned that each parish has a standard charter. He plans that if the charter is changed at the "top", all other charters of smaller parishes will be updated in a cascading manner.

“So, briefly, the mechanism is as follows: a study is conducted, if affiliation is established – then a directive is issued, with 30 days given for compliance. If the directive is not followed, DESS will go to court. It was never planned for DESS to go to court against thousands of parishes, only against those structures where the center of these connections actually exists,” he noted.

As reported by the UOJ, Poturaev stated that U.S. Senator Vance, in discussing the persecution of UOC faithful, relies on unreliable sources.

Read also

Priest's son of UOC Rivne Eparchy killed at the front

The UOC expressed condolences to Archpriest Valentyn Hodun in connection with the death of his soldier son in the Donetsk region.

US college plans to buy Masonic temple to convert it into Catholic shrine

In the state of Ohio, Catholics plan to purchase a Masonic building, consecrate it, and perform a rite of exorcism.

Biblical Samaria joins UNESCO World Heritage List

UNESCO has included the Palestinian village of Sebastia in the list of endangered sites.

Tajikistan bans wearing hijabs and Arab clothing

Tajikistan has tightened control over the wearing of hijabs and Arab clothing, while men with beards are being forced to shave under threat of fines.

Met. Serhiy of Tulchyn prays with persecuted UOC community in Novozhyvotiv

The ruling hierarch of the Tulchyn Eparchy supported the faithful of the Church of the Intercession, who have been forced to worship in a makeshift space after their church was seized and their prayer house destroyed.

DESS gives Pochaiv Lavra 30 days to break ties with Moscow

Ukraine's State Service for Ethnic Policy has ordered the monastery to prove within one month that it has no ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.