Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) believers start prayerful standing outside the Verkhovna Rada as a protest against the possible adaptation of anti-church bills

December 20, 2018 Ukraine

December 20, 2018. The believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) gathered at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to hold a prayer as a protest against interference of the authorities in the affairs of the Church.

About two thousand UOC-MP (Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate) believers took part in the prayer standing at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada. Bishop of Vasilkovsky Nikolay, Bishop of Ivanovsky Kassian and Bishop of Gostomelsky Tikhon joined the prayer.

They were praying that the Lord instructed the members of the parliament to stop interfering in the internal affairs of the Church and not to adopt anti-church laws aimed at discriminating believers of the UOC-MP and restricting their constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religious belief.

It should be noted that today, December 20, the Verkhovna Rada is considering the so-called anti-church bills. At the moment, the head of parliament A. Paruby proposed to consider the draft law No. 5309 on amending the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” regarding the name of religious organizations, as well as draft law No. 4228 on amending the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations ”(Regarding the change of subordination by religious communities), which, according to him, should simplify the “transitions ”of the parishes of the UOC-MP to the newly created “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.

Paruby urged members of the parliament to “hear the request of Patriarch Filaret to include these bills on the agenda, consider and support them, as they affirm the Ukrainian Church [newly created “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”] and help it to gain wider adherence and support in Ukraine.”

Recall that on December 14 of this year, as well as on May 18, 2017, prayer standing was already taking place near the Verkhovna Rada. Then, the UOC-MP believers expressed their position regarding the adoption of some other anti-church bills. People expressed their prayer standing against the adoption of scandalous bills No. 5309 and No. 4128, which can legitimize the “church raiding”, and bill No. 4511, designed to discredit the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and implies state control in its affairs.

Video document from Перший Козацький

Photo doxuments from the UOJ