Bondarenko: Judge in UOC case may have fallen ill due to signals from U.S.

Believers of the UOC near the courthouse. Photo: UOJ

Political analyst Kostiantyn Bondarenko, speaking on the program of blogger and journalist Oleksandr Shelest, stated that the postponement of the court hearing in the case concerning the ban of the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC may have been connected to pressure from the United States.

Shelest recalled that on the eve of the scheduled hearing, American politician and leader of the Republican Youth Corps Catherine Whiteford appealed to Ukrainian judges, urging them not to become an instrument of political repression. After that, the court session was disrupted – the judge unexpectedly fell ill.

“The trial of the UOC collapsed yesterday because of this. And the judge happened to fall ill at the wrong time,” Bondarenko remarked sarcastically.

According to the expert, a serious dialogue is now underway between Ukraine and the United States regarding the UOC. He recalled that on May 1 of this year, a national committee on religious freedom was established in the United States, tasked with monitoring the observance of religious freedoms worldwide.

Bondarenko also referred to Trump’s address at the UN General Assembly, where he declared that the Christian Church is today the most persecuted.

“And what greater persecution can there be than what the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is enduring in Ukraine today?” the political analyst asked rhetorically.

“The signal that was sent from the United States – a signal declared at the highest level – was most likely heard in Ukraine. And the Ukrainian authorities decided for now to take a brief pause. For the time being, they ordered the judge to fall ill for about a month,” Bondarenko summed up.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the court case on the ban of the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC was postponed. The next hearing is scheduled for October 30.

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