ROC protests against the persecution of dissidents in Ukraine

The Moscow Patriarchate opposed the "arbitrary arrests" and persecution of people on religious or ethnic grounds in Ukraine, reports RIA Novosti.

"We believe that in the countries that have adopted commitments on the protection of the rights and human dignity, there should be no arbitrary arrests and other forms of persecution for their beliefs or the faith they practice, their language or ethnicity. We cannot remain indifferent to violence against the dissidents, especially to the killings of journalists and writers. We sincerely believe that incidents like the recent burning of the office of the Ukrainian TV channel "Inter" will never happen again," reads the official statement of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Church relations with the public and media.

As specified in the ROC, the statement is made "in connection with an open letter from the representative of the schismatic religious structure "the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate" in the Crimea in the address of his Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia."

"We hope for a fair and impartial investigation of recently committed numerous crimes against the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, including the murder of priests and monks, assaults and beatings of parishioners of Orthodox churches by the armed extremists. We believe that peace and reconciliation are impossible without strict respect for human rights and freedoms and without a willingness to resolve all disagreements through sincere search for mutually acceptable solutions," said in a statement.