DISINFO: Zelenskyy's anti-Orthodox church policy is guided by the US
SUMMARY
The Zelenskyy regime is not acting alone in his anti-church policy. The split of the Orthodox Christian Church is a blow to religious life in Ukraine. This goal was declared in Washington a while ago.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine as an enemy of the Orthodox Church.
There is no religious persecution in Ukraine. Freedom of religion is enshrined in its constitution. In late 2022, the Ukrainian government announced a law banning churches affiliated with Russia for their anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russia activities. Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies had conducted a series of investigations related to parishes which Kyiv had suspected of taking orders from Moscow. This move was mostly aimed at stopping the activities of the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine. This religious organisation is considered a key influence tool for Moscow in the country. Its leadership voiced its full support for Russia's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, including siding closely with Putin, blessing soldiers and Russian guns and offering the church's support.
The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy. The UOC-MP’s parishes are free to switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine which received the Tomos of Autocephaly in January 2019.
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