On March 19, 2021, Metropolitan of Zaporozhye and Melitopol Luka and Archbishop of Berdyansk and Primorsk Ephraim, together with representatives of the clergy, met with the Head of the Zaporozhye Regional State Administration Starukh A.V. and handed over a letter to the President of Ukraine. This was reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

On behalf of all Orthodox believers in the Zaporozhye region, in their letter, the bishops draw the President’s attention to the constant and systemic violation of the Constitution in church-state relations.

“Over the past few years, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been undergoing open attacks and persecution from the powerful and right-wing radicals. This is manifested in the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the last convocation of unconstitutional anti-church laws. Local authorities are indifferent, and sometimes actively participate in the seizure of churches of the UOC, prevent registration and re-registration of the Charters of communities, and so on, ”the diocesan press service reports and emphasizes that at the meeting, which took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, it was noted that believers tolerate open harassment from government officials and cannot continue to be tolerated.

Having conveyed their written demands to the President of Ukraine to the Head of the Zaporizhzhya ODA, Oleksandr Starukh, representatives of the clergy urged him to take this appeal seriously.

“At the moment, when Ukraine is mired in crises and other social cataclysms, it is unacceptable that representatives of all branches of government, instead of serving for the good of the people, incite sectarian strife and try to force people to change their worldview,” the Zaporozhye eparchy explained.

The governor listened to the statements of the representatives of the clergy of the Zaporozhye region, promised to convey the appeal to the President of Ukraine and to study the indicated problems in the relations of the state to the Church in the region.