On December 7, 2022, Archbishop Nikolai of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod addressed the deputies of the regional council regarding the decision to ban the activities of the UOC. This was reported on the Facebook page of the diocese.

In particular, the bishop asked the chosen ones what legislation they are guided by when making such proposals. He cited the words of the President of Ukraine that now 651 criminal proceedings have been registered regarding high treason and collaboration activities of employees of the prosecutor’s office, pre-trial investigation bodies, and other law enforcement agencies.

“So why don’t you raise the issue of banning the activities of the SBU, the prosecutor’s office or the police in the region?” the hierarch asked.

“I want to remind you that our Constitution is recognized as the best in the world, it guarantees the rights of all segments of the population and all churches, including <…> And war is not a reason to violate laws, on the contrary, at this time they must be carried out more than ever, because this is a guarantee of unity society as a condition for Ukraine’s victory in this war,” the bishop noted.

“Look into the eyes of our believers who are fighting for Ukraine against the invader – Russia, look into the eyes of thousands of volunteers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who give their last to our soldiers, look into the eyes of everyone who goes to our churches – and say that you want to ban them. . And most importantly, everything you do – you do it in front of God, look at the icon of Christ, and tell Him that you are forbidding His Church. I urge you not to sow enmity on religious grounds, to protect the unity of our Ukrainian people in every possible way and to observe the Constitution and laws of Ukraine,” Bishop Nikolai emphasized.

The archbishop also added that, according to Art. 19 of the Constitution of Ukraine, public authorities and local self-government bodies, their officials are obliged to act only on the basis, within the limits of authority and in the manner that are provided for by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.

In addition, under the condition of martial law, local governments can raise the issue of banning only political parties and public associations. Local self-government bodies not only cannot ban the activities of a religious organization, they are not even entitled to raise the issue of banning the activities of a religious organization.

Thus, “banning the activity of a religious organization is a direct interference with freedom of religion. The actions of officials and officials directly violate Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Article 41 of the Constitution of Ukraine, and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the Archbishop summed up.