Legal Department demands that KIIS remove survey on UOC

The KIIS logo. Photo: KIIS

The Legal Department of the UOC has commented on the methods of a sociological survey which appeared on the website of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) about the attitude of Ukrainians to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The lawyers noted that the very wording of the question, where the UOC was called the "Moscow Patriarchate", is manipulative and pushes respondents to the "right" answer.

"There are no registered churches of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. The religious organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church registered in Ukraine under the current legislation do not contain in their constituent documents provisions on belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate and cannot refer to it in any way," the lawyers said.

The lawyers also pointed out that the use by sociologists of expressions such as "the Kremlin's fifth column" in reference to the UOC is a deliberate incitement of religious hatred.

The text states that "the UOC officially appeals to the KIIS with a demand to immediately remove from its official website the information about this survey and not to engage in manipulations in the field of religion in the future”.

The lawyers inform the KIIS that if there is no response to the appeal, they will "be forced to apply to law enforcement agencies with the appropriate notification".

The KIIS is a private Ukrainian company cooperating with the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy".

The UOJ has previously analysed the manipulation and lies of the KIIS opinion polls about the UOC.

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