Officials and Activists of UOC-MP in Sumy Prohibit Baptists to Organize Event for Children

The Executive Committee of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy prohibited the Church of Grace of the All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christian Baptists to conduct children’s events “Joyful Playground.”

Unauthorized attempts to conduct the event led to a conflict between the Baptists and a priest and active members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.

The Baptists stressed that according to Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conseience and Religious Organizations,” they have a right to carry out cultural and educational activity even without permission. Their opponents maintain that they have violated the prohibition of the Executive Committee and that the action of the volunteers is recruitment of children to a religious organization.