Zelenskyy signed a law banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine: what it means

On Saturday, August 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organizations affiliated with it in Ukraine. The law will come into force 30 days after its publication.

The corresponding mark appeared on the page of draft law No. 8371 on the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Earlier in the day, in an address to Ukrainians on the occasion of Independence Day, Zelenskyy mentioned the spiritual independence of the Ukrainian people, saying that "Ukrainian Orthodoxy today is taking a step towards liberation from Moscow's devils."

The day before, on August 23, the document was signed by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk. In the second reading, the members of the Verkhovna Rada voted for the bill "On the Protection of the Constitutional System in the Field of Religious Organizations" on August 20, 2024. The vote was cast by 265 parliamentarians. Now the UOC-MP communities will have nine months to break ties with Russia.

Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epifaniy believes that the adoption of the law banning religious organizations associated with the Russian Federation by the Verkhovna Rada will give our country a chance to finally throw off the "Russian yoke." Therefore, the decision of the parliament is truly historic, as it is a step towards protecting the Ukrainian religious space from the hostile influence of the Russian Federation.

He also called on Orthodox believers to join the OCU and noted that he was ready for a dialogue with Metropolitan Onufriy of the UOC-MP.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

– MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said that the ban of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine is not a matter of faith, but a matter of national security. He warned that now, after the adoption of this law, we should expect various provocations.

– Mykyta Poturaiev, MP, chairman of the Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, said that after the law banning the activities of the Russian Patriarchate is adopted in Ukraine, provocations from its resident in the country, the UOC-MP, will not disappear. But they will become much less, because not only parishioners, but priests will also begin to think about their future.

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