The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture is leading an active discrimination campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, according to a religion expert
March 23, 2017 – The Ministry of Culture is leading an orchestrated and systematic discrimination campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). This is the view Yuriy Reshetnikov, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Department for Nationalities and Religion from 2009 to 2010. Mr. Reshetnikov gave an interview to the journal “Phrase”, and he holds a PhD in his field.
“One can say that the non-registration of certain documents of the UOC-MP, especially monasteries, is being used as a fiscal pressure point on the Church. The Ministry of Culture is well aware that if religious organizations do not change certain things in their charters, than they will lose the “non-for-profit” status and will obtain financial problems”, considers the expert.
The city council purposely delays the handling of the UOC’s paperwork. Mr. Reshetnikov notes, “If the documents are being handled for 1.5 years instead of three months, than one needs to question the competence of the National Anti-corruption Bureau”. Taking into account all of the above, the expert continues “one gets the impression that there is a systematic campaign against the UOC-MP, even though it is not within the working jurisdiction of the Ministry”.
In the event that the courts in Ukraine cannot satisfy the complaints of the UOC, than the Church will be able to appeal their decision to the European Court of Human Rights, this time against the government of Ukraine.
Sources
http://pro.church.ua/2017/03/17/ministerstvo-kulturi-vede-borotbu-proti-upc-religijeznavec/