The Russian Orthodox Church calls respect for the rights of UOC believers an integral element of peace in Ukraine

Respect for religious freedom and the rights of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is an indispensable condition for establishing peace in Ukraine. This position was voiced in the Russian Orthodox Church amid media reports about the development of a peace plan that may affect the status of the UOC.

According to RTVI, Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s synodal department for relations with society and the media, emphasized that the issue cannot be a bargaining chip. «I would say that the observance of religious freedom, the rights of the UOC believers is an integral element of peace in Ukraine, whatever plans are presented and discussed. People’s faith cannot be a subject of bargaining, it is an absolute given,» he said.

Earlier, The Financial Times reported that the original peace plan, which was allegedly developed by Washington and Moscow, included a demand to grant official status to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However, in the 28-point version of the plan published by Verkhovna Rada MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, this wording was replaced by Ukraine’s commitment to «accept EU rules on religious tolerance and protection of linguistic minorities».

According to media reports, talks between the delegations of Russia and the USA are scheduled for November 25 in Abu Dhabi. They are expected to present a shortened 19-point settlement plan developed by the USA and Ukraine the day before in Geneva.

As a reminder, Metropolitan Nicholas, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), issued an official statement explaining the purpose of his recent visit to Washington, DC. In the statement, he condemned the distorted media coverage of the meetings and called for the protection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) amid continued pressure.