Expert: Hands-off policy isn't enough: Zelensky must ensure law for Church

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. Photo: Today

President Vladimir Zelensky does not interfere in church affairs, but his non-interference is not enough – the President must ensure the law and equal treatment of the state to all denominations. This was announced on the air of First Cossack by Ruslan Bortnik, a Director of the Ukrainian Institute for Analysis and Policy Management.

“I do not regard the refusal of Vladimir Zelensky to sign the agreement with Bartholomew as a drastic revision of the policy line,” the expert said. “One needs to understand that this document was prepared by a group of current officials, who were represented by Petro Poroshenko. And here mere alertness, mere distrust for the people of Poroshenko’s era could play a role: to Klimkin, to our Foreign Ministry, which prepared this visit to Istanbul. And this is precisely what could play a key role in non-signing the document proposed to Zelensky.”

Ruslan Bortnik believes that Zelensky’s position in relation to the Church is radically different from Poroshenko’s actions, but he still couldn’t ensure the state’s equal attitude to all faiths.

“The position of the President on the church issue is still evasive. On the one hand, keeping distance is a big plus. It’s scary to even imagine what Poroshenko would bring from Bartholomew if he were in the place of Zelensky. But at the same time, this position lacks the other side of the coin – the state must guarantee the rule of law in the territory it controls. And when law enforcement bodies, the judicial system begin to work, when local administrations treat all religious communities equally, seeking  to comply with the law, then we can say that Zelensky’s policy is different.”

The expert assesses the policy of Vladimir Zelensky in relation to the Church as transitional. What it will be next, in his opinion, only time will tell.

Earlier, Ruslan Bortnik said that the agreement between Poroshenko and Phanar is null in terms of the law.
 

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