Kiev court to hear claim against President’s interference in Church affairs
The legitimacy of the church initiatives of Petro Poroshenko will be considered by the District Court of Kiev.
The Kiev District Administrative Court accepted the claim of the public organization "The Rule of Law" regarding the competence of the Ukrainian authorities to interfere in the activities of the Church, reports the website of the District Court of Kiev on October 1.
"The plaintiff requests the court to establish the lack of competence (authority) of the head of state to interfere in the activities of the Church and religious organizations, in particular, by signing and sending a petition to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for granting the Tomos on autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which was later supported by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the relevant decree," says the statement.
The court decided to open proceedings on this administrative case and scheduled a preparatory session for October 13.
Earlier, Petro Poroshenko said that the Tomos issue is on a par with the army, language and NATO membership.
The UOC has repeatedly stated that the intrusion of politicians in church affairs is unconstitutional.
