Dumenko to EU politician: UOC ban is solely a matter of national security
According to the head of the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine), the government's legislative initiative to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not violate freedom of religion.
During a meeting in Kyiv with Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party, Epifaniy Dumenko assured his interlocutor that the actions of the Ukrainian authorities aimed at banning the UOC do not infringe on the rights of believers but are solely a matter of national security, reports the OCU press service.
According to the statement, Dumenko initiated the conversation with the European politician on the topic of the UOC, stating that the "aggressor country constantly seeks to use the church structure subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate in our state as an element of its influence and the achievement of its criminal goals."
"Therefore, what Ukraine is doing at the legislative level to prevent this does not violate freedom of religion but is solely related to national security," believes the head of the OCU.
He also informed the guest about the "danger of the deadly ideology of the 'Russian world', which has been actively spreading in the religious field of Ukraine for many years."
Additionally, Dumenko spoke to the leader of the EPP about the activities of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which, according to him, "serves as a successful platform for communication for representatives of almost the entire diversity of religious communities in Ukraine and is evidence of real freedom of conscience in our state".
As previously reported, the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, said that legislative initiatives to ban the UOC are "legitimate".
