Earlier, we reported that despite pressure and a de facto ban by the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains the largest religious organization in Ukraine in terms of the number of religious communities and followers. Even in Kyiv, the number of UOC churches is twice as high as that of the OCU.
“Let's give them another 60 days”: Head of DESS says state may postpone ban on UOC
The head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), Viktor Yelensky, said that the state could give the Ukrainian Orthodox Church another 60 days to sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the official, the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC has not yet responded to the previous demands of the DESS, so the deadline set for August 18 remains in force. However, if necessary, it can be extended. He stated this on the air of Ukrainian Radio.
“We have not yet received any official responses. In fact, the Kyiv Metropolis has time to formulate this response. If it takes more than a month to leave the Russian Orthodox Church, leave the synodal commissions, the inter-council presence, and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, then in the case of a justified appeal, another 60 days will be granted. That is, if it is necessary to convene a Bishops’ or Local Council and this requires some time, then it can, of course, be granted,” – Yelensky said.
The official noted that DESS is expecting lawsuits from the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. At the same time, if the UOC does not respond to the order in any way, this will automatically mean that the Church refuses to comply with the state’s requirement to sever relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.
“If we do not receive a response to this order within a ”reasonable time,” it will mean that the Kyiv Metropolis has rejected it. Or there may be another possibility—we may receive a lawsuit. And we have already received more than one lawsuit from the Kyiv Metropolis. The order was preceded by a study on the affiliation of the UOC-MP with Russia. And the lawsuit was aimed at prohibiting this study. The lawsuit was aimed at getting the Cabinet of Ministers to cancel the resolution on the procedure for conducting the study. That is, when it becomes clear that the Kyiv Metropolis does not want to eliminate the violations, then we will prepare a lawsuit,” – added the head of DESS.
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