Austria published a report on the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Austrian non-governmental organization OIDAC (Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe) published a report for 2023 on the persecution, discrimination and intolerance against Christians in Europe. The document also mentioned the situation with the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is reported by the organization’s website.

“Churches and clergy belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) located in the territories controlled by Ukraine have been subjected to searches, attacks and arbitrary detentions by both vandals and authorities,” – the OIDAC report says.

In addition, the organization pointed out the inadmissibility of applying the principle of collective responsibility of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church due to the illegal actions of its individual members.

“Moreover, the generalization of the activities of the entire religious institution on the basis of the actions of its individual members, even if their share is disproportionately high, harms believers and leads to the persecution of people based on their religious affiliation, which deepens the existing religious differences in the country,” – the organization added.

Earlier, the World Council of Churches issued a statement in which it expressed deep concern over the adoption of Law No. 8371 in Ukraine, aimed at banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The WCC noted that “neither the crimes of individuals nor the historical ties of a particular religious association” can be a sufficient reason to restrict freedom of conscience.