Head of DESS on ban on UOC: “We act exclusively in accordance with democratic procedures”

The head of Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, thinks that legally banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a “democratic procedure.” At the same time, Yelensky fears that the UOC will actively oppose the ban in court, which could slow down the liquidation process. He spoke about this in a comment to the publication Obozrevatel.

«During the rather long and painstaking work of the expert group, we came to the conclusion that the UOC-MP (despite their claims of independence) is still a structural part of the Russian Orthodox Church. And we made a prescription — to eliminate the violations identified during the inspection within the time frame established by law. This is given 30 days. The accusations currently being levelled at us by the hierarchs of the UOC-MP – that we are demanding a change in the language of worship, a switch to a different church calendar, and becoming part of the OCU – are nonsense. Ordinary parishioners can rest assured. In general, I would like to note that subordination to the Russian Orthodox Church is by no means part of Orthodox doctrine,» — said Viktor Yelensky.

In addition, the head of DESS is convinced that the ban on the UOC complies with “democratic procedures.” However, he fears that the courts will not immediately decide to ban the Church, which could delay the process.

“The main thing is that we are acting exclusively according to democratic procedures. Investigation, prescription, clearly defined waiting period, court. We are not Russia or North Korea, where they can just take it and ban it. Now it is important that the UOC-MP does not drown the case in legal spam, flooding the courts with counterclaims,” — he concluded.

Recall that Petar Volgin, a member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria (Party of European Sovereign Nations), stated that Ukraine’s accession to the EU is unacceptable until the rule of law prevails in the country. Among other things, Volgin is concerned about the unfounded persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, its clergy, and believers.