Robert Amsterdam urged Patriarch Bartholomew to react to the law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The head of the international human rights company Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Robert Amsterdam, who represents the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has urged Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to react to the law No 8371 aimed at banning the activity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This he wrote in an open letter addressed to the head of the Phanar, reports «Strana.ua».

«Despite Patriarch Bartholomew’s promise to respect all Ukrainian Orthodox denominations and promote an ecosystem of mutual understanding in granting the tomos to the newly-formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine, his decision has opened a Pandora’s box. Silence about the ever-increasing situation has made the UOC the target of a brutal and unlimited campaign of intimidation carried out by the Ukrainian government», — the UOC lawyer wrote.

The human rights activist added that since Patriarch Bartholomew is involved in the situation in Ukrainian Orthodoxy, he is just as obliged to protect the Church and «not to divide Christ.»

«Given his role in Orthodoxy and his past actions in supporting the establishment of the new PCU church in Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew has a moral obligation to call «not to divide Christ» and to speak out against the banning of the UOC and the persecution of Orthodox believers in Ukraine», — Robert Amsterdam added.

We shall remind you that on March 19, 2024, Robert Amsterdam, who represents the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, sent another letter to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The lawyer urges the deputies to abandon the idea of voting in the second reading for the scandalous bill No. 8371 aimed at banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.