Poturaiev admits the possibility of provocations in connection with the implementation of the law banning churches affiliated with the ROC

“Today, I, like my colleagues, receive disappointing signals that the opinion of the radical group within the UOC calling on the priesthood to confront society and the Ukrainian state, to take the position of the 'persecuted Church' and 'Church in the underground', is still winning,” Poturaiev said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday, September 25. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

In this regard, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada committee admits the possibility of provocations, namely that they may “provoke law enforcement officers, the state, citizens” in order to create conflict situations in religious communities around churches.

“They would do it so that it is shown on TV, so that there are photos that can be distributed, in particular, in the West, where they are actively spreading the lie about being oppressed,” he added.

Poturaiev complained that the so-called “radical group” in the UOC-MP still dominates the religious organization.

At the same time, he expressed hope that the pro-Ukrainian part of the clergy in the UOC-MP would win and the Church would indeed break ties with the ROC.

As reported previously, on August 20, in the second reading, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill prohibiting the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine (No. 8371 “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations”).

30 days after its publication, on September 23, the law came into force, except for several provisions that came into force later. In particular, the next day after publication, the Cabinet of Ministers begins preparing bylaws and in nine months the provision of the draft law that allows the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience to file a lawsuit to terminate the activities of a religious organization if the service has established its connection with the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) of the aggressor country comes into force.

In addition, within three months of the publication of this law, the Cabinet of Ministers must take measures to return state property from the use of a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine and religious organizations whose activities are not allowed. Also, within six months, they must take measures to return state property from the use of legal entities owned or participated in by a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in the country.