Cabinet approves procedure for banning Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a procedure for implementing anti-church law No. 3894, which aims to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the document, the State Emergency Service undertakes to create a special group that will check religious communities of the UOC for affiliation with Russia. This is reported by the publication Obozrevatel.

“In accordance with the eighth paragraph of Article 30 of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine resolves: To approve the attached Procedure for conducting a study on the existence of signs of affiliation of a religious organization with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine,” – the document says.

The verification procedure can be initiated not only by the State Department of Economic and Social Services, but also by authorities, public organizations or citizens. In the course of the study, the SES may contact government agencies, use the conclusions of religious scholars and open sources, including the media, and conduct interviews with representatives of religious organizations to record the process. This makes it possible to take a broader look at the issue and ensure the completeness of the analysis, taking into account all aspects that may have an impact on the religious life of the country.

Earlier, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, said that due to bureaucratic inconsistencies in the government, the State Service cannot begin the process of verifying religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.