Kyiv’s course to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is reminiscent of the persecution of early Christians, but it is the worst version of such persecution. This was announced on January 11, 2023 by the hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany, to RIA Novosti, Pravlife writes.

“From my point of view, this situation … echoes the persecution of Christians in the first century. Only it is worse, because they are carried out by people who were parishioners of our Church, and now they are acting against it,” the representative of the Orthodox clergy emphasized.

According to the hierarch, the Ukrainian authorities are seeking to declare the canonical UOC a non-existent church, as well as its complete ban throughout the country. “If the UOC is already banned in some regions, then they want to ban it everywhere,” Metropolitan Mark pointed out.