MP urged the government to strengthen the rationale for banning the UOC among Republicans in the US

An MP of the European Solidarity party, Rostyslav Pavlenko, has urged the authorities to work out with the US Republican Party the reasoning behind the adoption of draft law No 8371 aimed at banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The politician believes that the main argument should be the theme of protecting national security in this way. Pavlenko said this in a commentary to the Ukrainian News.

“The authorities need to focus on clarifying the main positions of the national security policy, so that no one has misconceptions under the influence of lobbyists, or information noise, or some lies,” – Pavlenko said, commenting on the fact that Donald Trump’s US vice-presidential candidate David Vance, who was chosen by Donald Trump, had earlier criticized the law banning the Russian Church.

The lawmaker added that the law does not say a word about banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the issue of ties between certain religious communities and the Russian Orthodox Church will be proven on a case-by-case basis.

“It is precisely about the prohibition of activities. And regarding affiliation, there are clear criteria there, which further give a clear procedure for the state to respond, and the decision is made by the court. Therefore, instead of referring to what someone said or wrote, the state should make every effort to clarify the truth and debunk lies,” – Pavlenko argues.

We shall remind you that on July 18, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy considered the latest amendments to the bill No. 8371 aimed at banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Following the results of the meeting, the Committee members urged MPs to put the bill to a vote in the second reading.