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The Pope condemns Ukraine's decision to ban activities related to the Russian Orthodox Church

2024-08-25 19:18:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Pope condemns Ukraine's decision to ban activities related to the

Pope Francis has condemned Kiev's decision to ban religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

"No Christian church can be excluded directly or indirectly. Churches should not be affected," the pope said during a weekly prayer, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation banning the activities of Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Ukraine.

"Thinking about the recently adopted law in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray," Francis said.

He told the crowd in St. Peter's Square that “you can do no wrong by praying. If someone does something bad to his people, he is guilty. But he cannot have done something wrong by praying."

Signing the legislation on August 24, Zelensky underlined what he called the spiritual independence of the Ukrainian people, saying that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU) is "today taking steps towards liberation from the devils of Moscow". The OCU, which is affiliated with Kyiv, gained independence from the Moscow Patriarchate from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2019.

The Russian-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced that it severed relations with the Moscow Patriarchate in 2023, due to the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

However, Ukrainian authorities accused him of maintaining ties to Moscow.

Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Orthodox Church in Russia, is a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian lawmakers on August 20 approved legislation banning the work of religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, which Kiev sees as supporting Moscow's 2022 war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities have sought to ban the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine since Russian-aligned forces seized parts of the country in 2014.

The Pope said that he is also watching the war in Ukraine with "pain"./ Rel





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