Ukraine adopts law to ban Russian-linked Orthodox Church

KIEV

The Monastery of the Caves, also known as Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the holiest sites of Eastern Orthodox Christians, in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, March 23, 2023.

Ukraine's parliament voted Tuesday to ban the Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), a move Kiev says strengthens its independence as the country severs ties with institutions it considers aligned with Moscow.

The majority of Ukrainian lawmakers approved the bill outlawing religious organizations linked with Russia, primarily affecting the Moscow-linked UOC. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who still needs to sign the bill for it to take effect, said the ban would boost Ukraine's "spiritual independence."

"This is a fundamental decision for our spiritual independence," Zelensky stated, adding that he will be talking to representatives of Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based rival to Moscow's patriarch, in the coming days.

This legislative action accelerates Kiev's years-long effort to curb spiritual links with Russia, a process intensified by Moscow's 2022 invasion, which the powerful Russian Orthodox Church endorsed. The Russian foreign ministry condemned the decision as a "powerful blow against the whole of Orthodoxy," while the Russian church called it "illegal."

Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida denounced the vote as "an unlawful act that is the grossest violation of the basic principles of freedom of conscience and human rights."

The ban may take years to implement, causing concern among UOC followers. Ukraine's SBU security service reported that criminal proceedings have been opened against more than 100 clergy from the Moscow-backed church since the start of the offensive, with 26 sentenced, though specific charges were not detailed.

Metropolitan Klyment, spokesman for the UOC, told Suspilne news outlet that the church has "always acted within the limits of the law" and would seek to defend constitutional rights to freedom of conscience and religious belief.

The schism between Ukrainian and Russian-linked Churches was triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine. In 2019, the Istanbul-based head of the Eastern Orthodox Church granted a breakaway wing, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), religious independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

In Kiev, believers were seen praying outside the historic Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery, formerly the UOC's base. Svetlana, a 56-year-old worshipper, expressed concern about the potential closure, stating, "If they close, people will still pray in the streets, maybe we'll put up tents, there will be prayers anyway."

She added, "There's no politics here. We just come and pray for our children and our loved ones... I've never seen any KGB agents," referring to allegations of collaboration with security services.

The split has impacted churchgoing in Ukraine. At the OCU-affiliated part of the Lavra monastery, 21-year-old Igor said, "Everything is political. There can be no such thing as art, sports, or even religion outside politics." He supported the ban, accusing the Russian Orthodox Church of being a Kremlin agent that "has metastasized so much that we will be fighting it for decades."

The ban has garnered support from many Ukrainian politicians. Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, declared on Telegram, "There will be no Moscow Church in Ukraine."

As Ukraine continues to assert its cultural and spiritual independence from Russia, this ban marks a significant step in the country's efforts to distance itself from Moscow's influence in all spheres of life. However, it also raises questions about religious freedom and the complex interplay between faith and politics in a country striving to define its national identity amid ongoing conflict.