UCCRO condemns Russia's abuse of religion in the war on Ukraine
Also in attendance were the Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Igor Klymenko, First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Andrushchenko, and representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine's Secretariat, according to the UCCRO website.
The UCCRO representatives unanimously declared that:
• the activity of any organization in Ukraine, including religious ones, whose centers and leadership are located in the Russian Federation, is unacceptable;
• inevitability of punishment for all persons involved in aiding the enemy and state betrayal, regardless of their confession or church affiliation;
• equality before the law of representatives of all religions.
UCCRO members called on state and law enforcement agencies to do everything possible to prevent destabilization of the socio-political situation in Ukraine.
The meeting participants emphasized that in matters concerning the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", the state primarily protects the interests of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, which consist in ensuring that the Lavra operates precisely as an Orthodox monastery, open to Ukrainian believers.
They also noted that Ukraine is known around the world for its high level of religious freedom, religious pluralism, absence of a "state church", equality of all religious organizations before the law, developed interfaith dialogue, and cooperation between different churches.
During the war caused by Russian unjustified aggression, a high level of freedom of religion is maintained in Ukraine, there are no persecutions based on religious grounds, democratic institutions continue to operate, and the churches play an important role in the life of the Ukrainian society.
