OCU "metropolitan" with RF passport: Fully support the law banning the UOC
The necessity of the anti-church law, according to Kushch, is explained by the fact that laws in Russia are significantly stricter.
The "Metropolitan" of Simferopol and Crimea, Kliment Kushch, expressed his support for Law 3894, which was criticized in a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He made this statement during the DESS press conference titled "Freedom of Conscience in Ukraine: Its Enemies and Defenders".
"First of all, I, the Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea, on behalf of the clergy who left the occupied territory of Crimea, and on behalf of the faithful who lost everything in Crimea, fully support the state's position regarding the law that was passed. This is still a mild law because, if you analyze the laws of the Russian Federation aimed at regulating interfaith relations, those laws are significantly stricter and harsher," Kushch stated.
Kushch, who holds a Russian passport, explained that under Russian laws, only Russian citizens and those religious denominations that have existed in Russia for over 100 years are allowed to conduct religious services. He emphasized that his Crimean Diocese of the OCU disagrees with the criticism of the law by the United Nations.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Kushch explained why he obtained a Russian passport. According to him, if he had not done so, he would have "lost all property, not only church property but also his personal belongings located in Crimea."
