Law enacted in Ukraine prohibiting churches affiliated with Russia

In a significant move, the Ukrainian parliament has passed a law allowing the banning of churches with links to Russia. The legislation, which was agreed upon by 265 out of 450 members in the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, will make it easier for Ukrainian authorities to shut down religious organizations with ties to Russia.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, one of the largest Orthodox denominations in Ukraine, is the primary target of this law due to its links with the Moscow Patriarchate. The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, also known as the Office for Nationalities and Religions, will determine these connections.

The Ukrainian government alleges that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is also linked to the Moscow government. However, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church denies this allegation. Despite distancing itself from pro-war rhetoric, the church has been unable to break all its ties to Russia, with Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, fervently supporting the war.

The latest statement by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemns the Russian Orthodox Church for becoming an accomplice to "bloody crimes against humanity" and for declaring the need to destroy Ukrainian statehood, culture, identity, and, more recently, Ukrainians themselves. This condemnation follows previous statements denouncing the support for the Russian invasion by Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church.

From an Orthodox view, it would be difficult to cut the affiliation with the Patriarchate as this connects the church with World Orthodoxy. In Orthodox theology, the sacraments are considered the core, and the legality of the sacraments would be questionable if the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were to break its ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. Forgiveness of sins implied in the sacraments could also be questioned in such a scenario.

The Ukrainian government, under President Volodymyr Zelensky, has yet to sign the law, and it is expected to come into force 30 days after publication. If a religious organization is found to have ties, it has 90 days to break them or face a ban in Ukraine.

This article was first published by CNE.news and re-published with permission in Evangelical Focus. The article was written by Joe-Lize Kruijsse-Brugge.

Some individual parishes within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have already broken off and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine since the invasion. This move could potentially weaken the ties between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate, but the overall impact remains to be seen.

As the situation continues to unfold, it is clear that the Ukrainian government is taking decisive action to sever ties with religious organizations seen as aligned with Russia. The future of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its relationship with the Moscow Patriarchate remains uncertain.