DESS on mobilization exemptions for priests: UOC will face problems
Vyacheslav Horshkov. Photo: Religion in Ukraine
The head of the Department for Religious Affairs of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), Vyacheslav Horshkov, explained that with the introduction of a new regulation on reserving clergy from mobilization, the UOC may face issues securing deferrals, reports Religion in Ukraine.
Horshkov pointed out that the complications stem from technical issues linked to the requirements of Ukrainian Law No. 2662-VIII of December 20, 2018. This law mandates clarification of the names of churches whose governing centers are located in an aggressor country. According to this law, the UOC's charters have lost validity regarding their name.
The DESS official noted that due to this, the service cannot identify such religious organizations, leaving them significantly restricted in their operations. For example, they cannot update the Unified State Register of Enterprises and Organizations of Ukraine (EDRPOU) to reflect leadership changes.
"The UOC faces a purely legal dilemma here: normalizing its legal identity to submit lists of priests for mobilization exemption is only possible by complying with Law No. 2662-VIII, which automatically implies recognizing its affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The only way out of this deadlock is to complete all necessary procedures and sever ties with the ROC. Otherwise, the UOC risks losing registered communities and the ability to secure mobilization exemptions for its priests," the publication stated.
Horshkov emphasized that the only solution for the UOC is to complete the required procedures and genuinely break ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
As the UOJ reported earlier, MP Dubinsky stated that only UOC clergy who transfer to the OCU would be granted mobilization deferrals.
🕊 Become part of our mission – support the freedom of Orthodox faith! 🕊
💳 Card number:
4441 1111 2797 9692
🔗 Donation link:
https://send.monobank.ua/jar/9ssSneNxE9
Read also
Myltsi Monastery shows pictures of shrine's revival from ruins
Archive footage of the St. Nicholas Monastery in Myltsi dated 1994 and modern photos of the revived monastery have been published online.
Embassy of Ukraine holds "prayer for Ukraine" at Weiling Wall in Jerusalem
The Ukrainian Embassy performed a ceremony at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Founder of children's shelter in Athens asks for help to avoid prison
The Athens Court of Appeals sentenced the head of the Greek foundation to 9.5 years in prison with the right of redemption.
In Butove, OCU supporters hold meeting on UOC parish "transfer"
In the House of Culture, residents of the village of Butove, Rivne region, decided the fate of St. John's Church of the UOC.
His Beatitude reads first part of Great Penitential Canon at Lavra
Metropolitan Onuphry led the Great Compline at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, with the reading of the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.
Orthodox youth meetings held in deaneries of UOC's Rivne Eparchy
Spiritual and educational events ahead of Great Lent were held in the deaneries of the Rivne Eparchy with the participation of clergy and Orthodox youth.