Met. Clement: The vote in VR does not have legal implications for UOC

The adoption of the draft law on the prohibition of religious organizations affiliated with Russia in the first reading by the Verkhovna Rada does not have legal implications for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the project itself does not concern the UOC, said Metropolitan Clement of Nizhyn and Pryluky, the head of the UOC Information and Education Department, in a comment to the UOC Information Centre.

"Based on the way this document was adopted, there is no doubt that it contains very little legal nature," the hierarch said. "Once again, the topic of religion was grossly used by the notorious deputies in their political intrigues. However, one should not listen to these deputies or the media controlled by them. Deception and manipulation are their bread and butter. The Verkhovna Rada did not ban anyone today. A truly scandalous draft law was adopted, containing many provocative provisions that contradict the Constitution. It concerns not the UOC but religious organisations affiliated with Russia in general. According to all founding documents, our Church is not such."

Metropolitan Clement reminded that "a draft law is not yet a law," so "today's events have no legal implications for the UOC or other religious organizations".

"This document still has a long way to go through further parliamentary consideration. Therefore, we cannot talk about any bans. Any discussions on this topic are deliberate provocations... However, if speculations arise at the local level, as they have before, it should be understood that they will be illegal, and they should be reported to law enforcement agencies and the Legal Department of the UOC," the bishop noted.

As previously reported, the head of the human rights organization NGO Public Advocacy, Oleg Denisov, stated that it is impossible to implement the draft law on the UOC ban in the legal field.