UOC hierarch: VR lawyers claim that Law 8371 contradicts Constitution
Metropolitan Clement (Vecheria). Photo: Nizhyn Eparchy
Chairman of the Synodal Information and Educational Department of the UOC, Metropolitan Clement of Nizhyn and Pryluky, commented to “Strana” the adoption of Bill 8371 aimed at baning the UOC.
‘The best comment on this creation of the Verkhovna Rada was provided by the Legal Department of the Parliament, which develops detailed analyses of all bills. So, the lawyers of the Verkhovna Rada itself claim that the text of the just adopted law does not comply with several fundamental articles of the Ukrainian Constitution and a number of principles that Ukraine has ratified in international treaties as a democratic state. This concerns the legal side of the law. But there is also a moral one. If millions of believing Ukrainian citizens had known that the current parliament would ban churches, they would obviously have formed a completely different composition at the elections,” the UOC hierarch said.
As reported by the UOJ, on 20 August 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a whole Bill No. 8371 “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Activity of Religious Organisations” aimed at actually banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
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.