The head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyy, has convinced the public that the draft law No 8371, the adoption of which will result in a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is not really aimed at restricting the UOC. The official claims that the norms of the law require only to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. About this he told in a comment to the publication “FOCUS”.

“The law is not aimed at banning the UOC-MP, as some of the deputies suggested and as it is communicated in the media. It is only about the fact that Ukraine wants to prevent religious organizations from being subordinated to centers that wage war against Ukraine. The UOC-MP is not being asked to change doctrine, canon law, calendar, liturgical language or become part of another church. They are only told that they should not be part of a church that is waging war against Ukraine. Those who protest actually admit that they have a governing center in Moscow,” – Viktor Yelenskyy said.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that Viktor Yelensky praised the Baltic states for pressurizing the Russian Orthodox Church on their territories and called on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to break off relations with the Russian Orthodox Church.