UOC spokesman on gambling legalization: Church is against such laws
Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, Deputy Head of the UOC Department for External Church Relations, commented on the adoption by Ukraine's Parliament of bill No. 2285-d.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is against the legalization of gambling in Ukraine, wrote the UOC spokesperson Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich on his Facebook page.
“The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the legalization of the gambling business in Ukraine. It's regrettable. People will lose even those small funds that they have. Earlier, about 8-10 years ago, our Church opposed this. They listened to. Banned. Now they’re back for that again. Anyway, we are against such laws,” the clergyman emphasized.
The spokesman for the UOC noted that in pastoral practice he had to deal with cases of gambling, "when a person sits and plays day and night".
“This is a disaster both for a person and for a family, and it’s difficult, very difficult to overcome such an obsession. And when they lose money, it’s a bigger trouble,” added Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich.
As reported, on July 14, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the second reading bill No. 2285-d "On State Regulation of Activities in the Organization and Conduct of Gambling", which legalized the gambling industry. The MP and member of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee Vadim Novinsky called on President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky to veto the law on the legalization of gambling.
