Christian Democratic Union Concerned by UOC-Moscow Patriarchate’s Call to Ukrainian Authorities to Liquidate UOC-Kyivan Patriarchate

The Christian Democratic Union is strongly concerned by the call spread by the mass media of the officials of the Odesa Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate to the Ukrainian authorities to liquidate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, reads a special statement of the party of July 23 posted by the party's website.

The document stresses that the establishment and development of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate is based on the will of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians expressed at the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1991 regarding the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine according to the right of the Ukrainian nation and Ukraine as an individual sovereign state, according to the canonical rules to have an independent national Orthodox church, according to the constitutional right of citizens to the freedom of conscience.

"Today, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate includes over ten million faithful citizens of Ukraine who made their conscious religious choice in favor of that church, which is the second largest religious association of the country," reads the statement of the Christian Democratic Union

In view of the above, the Christian Democratic Union reminds the Ukrainian authorities about the importance to remember their responsibility before the people and duty to defend the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, particularly, the right to the freedom of conscience. The authorities are responsible for creating equal conditions for the further development of the churches of Ukraine and must not interfere in interdenominational relations, limit the lawful activity of churches, or restrict the right of citizens to freely confess their faith.