The head of the DECR of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Sevryuk) spoke at the UN Security Council meeting on the issue of the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the DECR website writes.

He noted that:

– Deprivation of citizenship of the bishops of the UOC is a “form of mass political repression”;

– In 2022 alone, 129 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were seized;

— Criminal cases are initiated against the bishops and priests of the UOC for far-fetched reasons. The SSU conducts mass searches in monasteries and communities;

– Political repressions against the episcopate have become the culmination of the repressive religious policy of the Ukrainian authorities over the past years, the ultimate goal of which is … total control of the religious life of society by state bodies.

– Violating the principle of separation of the Church from the state, confirmed by Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the leadership of Ukraine and local self-government bodies … officially require the communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to join other religious organizations.

He urged “to pay attention to the illegal actions of the state authorities of Ukraine in relation to the country’s largest confession.”