The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should urgently adopt draft law No. 8221 on banning the russian orthodox church in Ukraine

We, representatives of Ukrainian public organizations, call on the Ukrainian parliament to protect the national security of Ukraine and finally to ban the subversive activities of the structures of the russian orthodox church created by order of stalin in our country.

The activities of the russian orthodox church and its local branch of the UOC of the moscow patriarchate have always had a more political than religious nature. And in conditions of full-scale russian aggression, the actions of these structures, which go beyond the scope of purely church life, are particularly dangerous.

The russian orthodox church and the UOC MP are the leaders of the ideas of the «russian peace», the means of russia’s aggressive policy, the goal of which is the genocide of the Ukrainian people and the destruction of the Ukrainian state. The leadership and clergy of this church is widely involved in the hybrid war against Ukraine, continues anti-Ukrainian propaganda, approves of russia’s war of aggression and blesses russian soldiers to kill Ukrainians.

While supporting the actions of the authorities aimed at exposing and stopping the anti-state activities of the russian orthodox church, we at the same time consider these actions inconsistent and insufficient. Reducing the opposition of the russian orthodox church to economic disputes with some of its communities and claims against some odious figures of this church is not a comprehensive solution to the problem and will not give an effective result.

The key step to be taken by the state is the adoption of draft law No. 8221 «On ensuring strengthening of national security in the sphere of freedom of conscience and activities of religious organizations.»

Introduced by deputies from different factions and unanimously supported by the specialized humanitarian committee of the parliament, this document solves the problem of the russian orthodox church in Ukraine holistically, in accordance with the norms and practices of European legislation.

The bill, in particular, provides for:

prohibition of activity in Ukraine of the russian orthodox church and religious organizations that are fully, indirectly or partially owned or recognized as subordinate to it;

early termination of all property transactions concluded between residents of Ukraine and a prohibited foreign religious organization, as well as with legal entities belonging to it;

peculiarities of the naming of religious organizations, in particular, the use of the word «Orthodox in the names of only those religious organizations that are subordinate to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Adoption of draft law No. 8221 will allow, on the basis of the Tomos on Autocephaly, to unite Ukrainian Orthodoxy into a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the doors of which are open to all Orthodox communities, priests and parishioners who do not want to work for the «russian way».

We call on the leadership of the Ukrainian state and parliament, patriotic deputies of all factions and groups to unblock consideration of draft law #8221 and vote for it at the next meeting of the Verkhovna Rada.

We have no right to let the enemy continue to undermine the security of our state and destroy the unity of Ukrainian society.

Taras Shamayda, «Space of Freedom» movement;

Hanna Hopko, «ANTS» Network;

Liusiena Shum, «Library Country» charitable foundation;

Anastasia Rozlutska, NGO «Ukrainian World»;

Svyatoslav Litynskyi, NGO «Nezalezhnii»;

Maryna Kirillova, NGO «Initiative for Welfare»;

Dmytro Karabchuk, NGO «Forest Initiatives and Society»;

Yaroslava Vitko-Prysiazhniuk, «Ukrainian-speaking Odesa» initiative;

Olena Kravchenko, MBO «Ecology – Law – Man»;

Roman Matys, the initiative to protect the rights of Ukrainian-speakers «And so they will understand!»;

Volodymyr Ragulskyi, NGO «Cinema. Education. Creativity»;