Archbishop Sylvester: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Advocates for Equal Rights for Clergy During Mobilization

Archbishop Silvestr of Belogorodsk, Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary (KTA&S), issued an official statement regarding the mobilization of clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under martial law. The hierarch emphasized that the church does not demand special privileges, but insists on the observance of constitutional rights and the resolution of legal conflicts between state legislation and church canons. This was reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

In his statement, the archbishop notes that the UOC supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and that the clergy and the faithful are actively engaged in volunteer work, helping refugees and those in frontline areas. Nevertheless, the hierarch points to a pressing problem: from a legal standpoint, priests are subject to conscription on the same basis as others; however, the legal mechanisms for exemption through the DESS are currently unavailable to the UOC, unlike for a number of other religious organizations.

“We do not seek to stand out as a privileged group, but merely strive for equal rights in matters of mobilization on par with ministers of other religious denominations,” Archbishop Silvestr emphasizes. An important aspect of the issue is the canonical prohibition against clergy taking up arms or using violence, which makes it impossible for them to fully perform military service according to standard regulations. In this regard, the UOC calls for understanding on the part of the military leadership and proposes assigning mobilized priests to non-combat or administrative positions, a practice that has already been successfully implemented in a number of cases.

In conclusion, the archbishop condemned instances of biased treatment of the UOC clergy by TRC staff and called for a civilized dialogue based on the principles of equality of citizens before the law, regardless of their religious affiliation.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the human rights organization Forum 18 had noted an intensification of repression against Ukrainian citizens who refuse mobilization on religious grounds. As human rights activists note, the authorities have ignored demands to explain the denial of the constitutional right to alternative service.