Minister of Culture: There is no Russian Church in Ukraine, there is UOC

On September 5, 2022, the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko confirmed that there is no Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, but there is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has severed relations with Moscow and is currently working on a new version of the Statute, which will reflect the relevant changes. The minister announced this on the air of the national telethon.

“I don’t know the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, since there is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which at the last Synod dissociated itself from the Russian Orthodox Church. We look forward to the final version of their amended charter, so that we can responsibly say how severed these ties are,” said Alexander Tkachenko.

At the same time, Tkachenko stressed that the authorities have questions regarding the activities of some representatives of the UOC.

“Our discussion with fellow deputies may contribute to the fact that the discussion of this issue will be transferred to a more serious level,” Tkachenko said.

The minister also recalled that the Cabinet approved the imposition of sanctions against Patriarch Kirill and other representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, and now the sanctions must be approved by the National Security and Defense Council.

As the UOJ wrote, the Ministry of Culture announced a fundraiser for the restoration of destroyed churches.

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