UOC archbishop accuses MP of pressuring court in Upper Lavra case
Archbishop Viktor criticized MP Solomiia Bobrovska for calling on the SBU to investigate UOC believers praying outside the courthouse.
Archbishop Viktor of Artsyz, vicar of the UOC Odesa Eparchy, criticized public statements by Ukrainian MP Solomiia Bobrovska concerning the court proceedings over the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, accusing her of exerting pressure on the judiciary and undermining religious freedom.
The UOC hierarch stressed that the presence of believers praying outside the courthouse, many of them elderly women, is a lawful exercise of their right to religious freedom. He argued that portraying these believers as a "threat" or urging the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to scrutinize them violates constitutional principles.
Archbishop Viktor also warned that the lawmaker's public demands directed at the SBU and her statements about expecting the "right" court ruling raise questions about judicial independence, which is guaranteed under Articles 126 and 129 of Ukraine's Constitution.
"Could the combination of a member of parliament attending a court hearing, publicly expressing expectations about the outcome, and appealing to the security services create the impression of political interference in judicial proceedings? A court ruling must be based solely on the law, the evidence examined, and the facts established in the case – not on the public expectations of representatives of the legislative or executive branches," the archbishop emphasized.
The UOC hierarch also responded to the MP's calls for security services to investigate believers gathered in prayer.
"If these are citizens peacefully exercising their constitutional right to freedom of religion, on what grounds should their mere presence outside a courthouse warrant special attention from the security services?" he asked.
Archbishop Viktor further stressed that membership in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church cannot, in itself, be grounds for questioning a person's patriotism or loyalty to Ukraine.
"These are citizens of our country who have the same constitutional rights and responsibilities as everyone else," he said.
As the UOJ previously reported, MP Solomiia Bobrovska expressed outrage over the large number of UOC believers praying outside the courthouse. She thanked radical activists for putting pressure on the faithful, called on the SBU to intervene in the court proceedings, and insisted that the Lavra must be completely freed from "Moscow's influence and FSB agents."
