Parliament passes law banning Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine

The Parliament has adopted the Law of Ukraine "On Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations".

The purpose of the Law (draft law No. 8371 on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine) is to ban the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organizations affiliated with it in Ukraine.

The essence of the issue: Today, the Russian Orthodox Church is an instrument of Russian influence and propaganda.

With the adoption of the law, Ukraine is taking another step towards protecting its population from terrorist hostile propaganda, calls for violence and genocide spread by the Russian Orthodox Church. We must stop any actions on the part of the Russian Federation to abuse religion and distort Orthodox traditions, and to impose criminal narratives. As a reminder, the Russian Orthodox Church unequivocally supports Russia's war against Ukraine.

According to the law, the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church are not allowed, and such organizations are terminated in accordance with the procedure established by law. The list of these organizations is approved by an order of the SES and published on the official website of the service. In addition, the ROC cannot be the owner or participant of legal entities registered in Ukraine.

An important novelty is the amendment to Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Lease of State and Communal Property" regarding the prohibition to transfer state or communal property for free use or loan. Now, this prohibition will not apply to religious organizations: they will be able to take state or municipal property that is a place of worship for free use or loan for the purpose of conducting worship services and other types of religious practice.

The law also prohibits the propaganda of the Russian World ideology, including the use of religious organizations to promote this ideology.

The law enters into force 30 days after its publication, except for the CMU's instruction and provisions on amendments to the Code of Administrative Procedure.

VERKHOVNA RADA

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