This study will not last long, because the law clearly defines what affiliation is - Yelensky on the inspection of the UOC

The head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, has said that the inspection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church will not last long. According to the official, the verification procedure is clearly spelled out in the anti-church law No. 3894, and the Church will be checked according to seven criteria. He said this in an interview with Radio Liberty.

“On May 20, the group begins research on the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church: whether it is connected or affiliated with a religious organization banned in Ukraine, that is, the Russian Orthodox Church. This research will not last long, because the law is quite clear about what affiliation means. There are seven criteria that will be used to determine the connection. If it is determined that the Kyiv Metropolis is affiliated, they will write an order with a warning to remove it by a certain date. The longest period is 60 days. If they do not leave the UOC, namely the synodal commissions, inter-conciliar presence, and so on, the SES will have the right to sue for the liquidation of this organization,” — explained Viktor Yelensky.

It should be noted that recently the head of the Synodal Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Klyment (Vecheria), commented on the initiative of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience to check the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC for affiliation with foreign centers. The hierarch argues that the anti-church law No. 3894 has nothing to do with the UOC, since nowhere in the statutory documents of the Church is there any mention of any control from abroad.