Ukrainian attack on spiritual freedom

Let us remember this text erstwhile we hear one more time the tales of EU officials and leaders of European countries about the fast admission of Ukraine to the European Union. You may inactive remember the excessive conditions of accession that Poland had to fulfil. Ukraine is now fit for the EU without any conditions, but it is devoured by corruption by a dictatorship where the laws no longer apply.

The text is written by a retired Presbyterian pastor surviving in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

Dr. Campbell Campbell-Jack

https://possil.wordpress.com/2024/01/10/Ukrainian-attack-on-religious-freedom/

It is possible to view Russia as an imperialist aggressor in Ukraine and to believe that Putin is simply a totalitarian despot with blood on his hands, while at the same time critically referring to the West for utilizing Ukraine to abuse Russia and the Zelenski government for how he treats political opponents. Despite the human tendency to view the “our” side as good people, it is magical to think that 1 side wears black hats and the another white.

When Volodymyr Zelenski unexpectedly became president in the 2019 election, he immediately stated that he was not going to interfere in church affairs. But that was then. present Zelenski faces real pressure, not only from Russia, but besides from political opposition in Ukraine. In addition to consolidation TV platforms under State control and prohibition of activities opposition political parties, Zelenski is presently attacking the Church.

Prohibition of Ukrainian Orthodox Church

For the first six months after the start of the war in February 2022, Zełenski and Ukrainian officials stressed that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UKP) is simply a Ukrainian religion standing firmly on the side of its people. By the end of 2022, it began to turn around. On 20 January 2023, the ultimate Council of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament, received draft Act No 8371 on the actual ban of the UKP. The proposed law is intended to prohibit the activities of spiritual organisations linked to the centres of influence “in a country that is carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine”. The initiator of the bill was not a modest Private MP, but Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. At first reading on 19 October 2023, the proposal was adopted by a majority of 267-15. In the mediate of the month, a second reading of the bill will be held in the Kiev Parliament. In fact, this is simply a direct effort to ban the UKP.

This action is inexplicable due to the fact that the UKP is doing everything in its power to aid the state and the Ukrainian people in the war. Historically, the UKP was indeed closely linked to the Russian branch of Orthodoxy, but for over 30 years it has been autonomous and has no administrative links. In May 2022, as part of a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UKP besides broke all canonical spiritual ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (RPC). The direct and peculiar motivation was to support the RDP patriarchs Moscow Cyril for invasion.

By official data, since the invasion, the Church has been tirelessly carrying military aid, internally displaced and in need. UKP activities were described as playing a immense role to rise funds and aid to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty. A full of 180 tonnes of humanitarian aid were delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Given that most Ukrainians are not wealthy and fall victim to war, the UKP's contribution is impressive. Onufry Metropolitan, head of the UKP, declared in October 2023 that all believer has a work to defend Ukraine, which is simply a "holy duty".

UKP priests, its leaders and thousands of supporters wholeheartedly support their country against the Russian invasion and have done everything in their power to distance themselves from the RKP. However, this is not adequate to satisfy the government of Zelenski, who believes that the state-created Orthodox Church of Ukraine (KPU) is much more convenient for its purposes.

Government survey questioned the proclamation of UKP independence. After reading the management papers of the UKP, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethics and Freedom of Conscience stated that the church remained structurally part of the Russian Orthodox Church and did not break ties with it adequate to satisfy the authorities.

The secret police of Zelenski raids monasteries across Ukraine

For a long time, the churches and monasteries of the UKP have been raiding Ukrainian SBU safety service officers. They informed that they had found evidence of alleged cooperation between bishops and priests of the UKP with the enemy of Russia. The “proofs” of collusion were Bibles for Children (A large part of Ukrainians is Russian-speaking, but this language, as it happens in democratic countries, has been banned), prayer books, archives of old newspapers and periodicals containing the word “Russian” and the erstwhile sermons of the patriarch of the RKP. Not all evidence has been ‘found’. any had to be delivered. In the church in the village of Głyńsk close Equal safety Service they planted flyers “enemy”, in the absence of a pastor who at that time bought cars for the Ukrainian army with money collected by his community.

Since the outbreak of the war, SBU has launched 68 criminal proceedings against UKP representatives. The charges include treason, cooperation, aiding aggressor country, public incitement to spiritual hatred, the sale of firearms and the distribution of kid pornography.

Tucker Carlson He assessed the situation: "Zelenski's secret police raided monasteries throughout Ukraine, including a monastery full of sisters, and arrested dozens of priests for no reasonable reason and with a clear violation of the Ukrainian Constitution which no longer matters".

Freedom of religion

If the proposed government enters into force, it will deny the Ukrainian people basic human rights: freedom of religion. This would require followers of 1 church to abandon it and alternatively to worship the government's preferred branch of orthodoxy – the recently formed KPU. Telling people how and where to pray is grossly incompatible with global human rights.

Ukraine is seeking EU membership, but the introduction of this government should make a barrier to accession. Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, ratified by Ukraine in 1997, obliges Ukraine to ‘ensure all man subject to [its] jurisdiction’ the ‘right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion’, including the freedom ‘either alone or in fellowship with others, publically or privately, to express its religion or beliefs by practicing worship, teaching, practicing and following the rules’.

The government of Ukraine may not like it, but the UKP is the homeland of Christianity in Ukraine and that has been the case for over a 1000 years. All attempts to destruct the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for political reasons must be resisted.

It is worth reminding that in PRL the power besides had its favourite church, which was utilized to fight the Catholic Church. True, the Polish-Catholic Church (sometimes referred to as “the prince of the patriarchs”) was not created by the authorities from the air, as was the case in Ukraine. It was a pre-existing church of re-immigrants from the States, which, thanks to its weakness, seemed an easy prey. As controlled by the authorities, he was to replace the Roman church. Eventually, in Poland, the control failed, but the ruling “communist” authorities did so. In Ukraine, it is done by a democratic president with the support of the full democratic world.

So what happens in Ukraine? A large part of the faithful live abroad, outside Ukrainian security, so possibly the UKP will survive.