A member of the European Parliament criticized the Ukrainian government for restricting the religious freedoms of the Orthodox of Bukovyna

Member of the European Parliament from Romania and member of the ECR political group Uerban Dimitrie Sturdza sent an official letter to the Ambassador of Ukraine to the European Union Vsevolod Chentsov, in which he expressed his concern about the lack of respect for the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine, especially religious freedom and the right to unite Romanian ethnic Orthodox believers within the Romanian Patriarchate. The deputy drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian government in every possible way restricts the freedom of religion of Orthodox Romanians in Bukovina, creating unreasonable obstacles. This was reported by BucPress.

Struza notes that although on August 25, 2024, in full compliance with Ukrainian legislation and international conventions, the “Religious Association Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine” was created as part of the Romanian Patriarchate, the Ukrainian authorities blocked the process of its legal registration, despite the fact that the maximum period established by law for this procedure is 3 months.

«It is important that Ukraine, as a candidate state for accession to the European Union, adheres to the Copenhagen criteria, including the protection of minorities and fundamental freedoms. The current situation gives the impression that Ukraine is trying to dissuade Romanian communities from joining the Romanian Orthodox Church, violating the principles of the rule of law and religious freedom. This is particularly alarming, especially in the context of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, which require respect for human and minority rights,» the MEP said.

As reported earlier, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, said that the Ukrainian side insists on establishing relations between the OCU and the Romanian Patriarchate. The purpose of mutual recognition is to include the Romanian-speaking parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the so-called Romanian vicariate of the OCU. Yelenskyy plans to involve diplomatic channels and even the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the process of mutual recognition between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the OCU.