Ukrainian Council of Churches: interference into worship is unacceptable

Session of the members of All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations

On June 26, at a meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations there was discussed and adopted a statement "On the violation of the principle of autonomy of religious organizations and interference in the worship practice of religious organizations," reports the UOC Department for External Church Relations.

The Council of Churches declared that it is inappropriate to apply Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine against clerics, since this contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine, according to which "the state does not interfere with the activities of a religious organization carried out within the law".

The members of the Council consider that the issue of performing or non-performing religious rites and ceremonies by the clergy is regulated by the internal order of confessions and religious organizations, but not by the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"If religious leaders violate the internal order and rules, they bear the responsibility provided for by the teaching of the relevant religious organization, as well as moral responsibility," the statement said. "Criminal liability of religious figures of any confession in Ukraine under such circumstances is a violation of the principle of the autonomy of religious organizations and the unlawful interference in the internal practice of confessions and religious organizations, in particular, in the procedure of performing religious ordinances, rites and sacraments."

The reason for the adoption of the document was the case that occurred on January 11, 2018 in Zaporozhye, when the prosecutor's office initiated a criminal proceeding against the cleric of Zaporozhye eparchy of the UOC under article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine due to the "selective approach to the performance of religious rites, giving preference to those who were baptized namely by the UOC-MP, thus hurting the feelings of citizens in terms of their religious beliefs." In fact, the clergyman refused to perform a funeral service for the baby baptized by the UOC-KP.

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