The bills aimed at the actual liquidation of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church by banning its activities on the territory of Ukraine, recently submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (No. 7204 and No. 7213), if adopted, will undoubtedly lead to an aggravation of the social crisis, provoke a new round of civil confrontation and will exacerbate the split previously provoked by the anti-canonical actions of the Phanar, Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate, wrote on his Telegram channel.
“Priests and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been attacked and persecuted by representatives of schismatic groups and nationalists for a number of years, but recently these persecutions have become even more severe. There are a number of attacks, seizures of temples by armed people. With the adoption of any of the bills banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, even more violent reprisals against representatives of the clergy and believers of the canonical Church should be expected. I hope that the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada and representatives of the Ukrainian authorities will show prudence, realize the harm that the possible approval of such bills will cause to the people of Ukraine,” writes Legoyda.