Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East condemned the Ukrainian government for persecuting the UOCC

The Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East, Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Ava III, has sent a letter addressed to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in which he categorically condemned the Ukrainian government for persecuting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Catholicos noted that he sent letters to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola, in which he described the plight of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the violation of the rights of believers in Ukraine. This is reported by the Communication Service of the Russian Orthodox Church’s DECR.

“The support of the schism (the OCU, – ed.) and the persecution of the largest canonical Church clearly indicate that the actions of the Ukrainian authorities are nothing but a religious pogrom against the Orthodox Christians of the country. It is sad that this campaign is supported by many Western nations and their governments. Without any doubt, we strongly condemn such actions and the interference of the secular state and its government in the internal, including religious, affairs of the autonomous religious historically established structure – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” – Mar Ava III said.

The Catholicos added that he sent relevant letters to representatives of international organizations, in which he expressed concern over the violation of the rights of the clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“As a sign of protest against the unworthy acts of the Ukrainian authorities,” he sent letters to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola. According to the Catholicos-Patriarch, in his appeals he “pointed to many obvious evidences of persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and also referred to the statutes of these two international bodies, which the Ukrainian government is grossly violating with its policy towards the canonical Orthodox Church.” The Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East expresses the hope that “the messages will have a positive impact on the leadership of the above-mentioned international organizations,” – concluded the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East.

Recall, earlier we reported that the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfiry criticized the ongoing pressure and attempts to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The hierarch noted that taking advantage of the military conflict in Ukraine, the UOC wanted to take away the church property and transfer it to a loyal religious structure.