Zelenskyy discusses banning Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine with Patriarch Bartholomew
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Patriarch Bartholomew (president.gov.ua)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a conversation with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Wednesday, August 21, according to the President.
According to Zelenskyy, during the conversation, they evaluated the development of cooperation, including the recent productive visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
"He separately emphasized the importance of the new law on spiritual independence, supported by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, and stressed that an independent nation must also be spiritually independent," Zelenskyy wrote.
He also assured Bartholomew that Ukraine aims to strengthen Orthodoxy in the country and promote open dialogue between churches.
What preceded
Yesterday, August 20, the Verkhovna Rada supported a law banning the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Ukraine. This ban will also extend to organizations associated with the ROC.
According to Mykyta Poturaiev, the Chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Rada, this initiative was adopted to combat Russian propaganda, which the enemy disseminates through the church.
For more details on what will happen with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
