Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the government will not allow stirring religious hatred in Ukraine

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yatsenyuk said that the government will not allow stirring religious hatred in Ukraine. He will pursue those guilty of the seizure of temples and priests under law, reports the Institute for Religious Freedom.

The head of the Cabinet was reported as saying this during a meeting with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which took place on 3 October in the premises of Parliament.

Ukraine's Prime Minister condemned the facts of persecution and murder of priests in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“In our unity under no circumstances we will give chance to anyone to escalate conflicts on confessional grounds. Once there are or there will be some isolated cases, it is our common task, whoever that confession was not represented by, to do everything to counter them,” said the head of government.

Yatsenyuk called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate) to use its influence in Donbas to stop abusing people and hostage-taking by pro-Russian fighters.

“It will be a great and sacred cause to withdraw those people who are now kept hostages, to help priests of any confessions, to ensure human rights are respected and personal dignity is not mocked,” said Yatsenyuk, addressing the members of the UOC (MP).

The Prime Minister said: “This is a sacred right enshrined in the Constitution and that is given at birth to each of us: to go to the church you want, to speak the language your taught you, and pray the way you think necessary.”