Poroshenko: Non-incursion of State into Church is just a beautiful theory

Former guarantor of the Constitution Petro Poroshenko. Photo: Poroshenko’s YouTube channel

Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has admitted that he considers the thesis of non-interference of the state in the affairs of the Church only as a beautiful theory, and the question of spiritual independence from the Kremlin is a matter of national security. On his official YouTube channel, the politician explained that he considers the observance of the principle of non-interference of the state in the affairs of the Church enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine as a manifestation of indifference to the intervention of the Russian Federation.

“The thesis that the Ukrainian state should not interfere in church affairs is only a beautiful theory. In the harsh reality, it means indifference to the Russian intervention,” the former guarantor of the Constitution explained to the people of Ukraine.

In light of the claim of the UOC Kiev Metropolis on the illegality of the state registration of the religious center of the OCU, Poroshenko demanded to convene the National Security and Defense Council.

"The lawsuit of the Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, demanding the cancellation of the state registration of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, our Church, is not a church issue but a matter of Ukraine’s national security, which requires attention of both the President and the National Security Council," the former President of Ukraine stressed.

He also promised to provide legal support to the OCU in order to "repel the Moscow attack on this structure".

“The issue of our spiritual independence from the Kremlin belongs to the sphere of national security and it is, was and will remain in the focus of attention of our team,” the politician concluded.

Recall, on June 18, 2019, the District Administrative Court of the city of Kiev accepted for consideration a lawsuit on the illegal registration of the OCU centre, which was filed by the Kiev Metropolis of the UOC, and opened on its basis the administrative proceedings. The head of the Legal Department of the UOC, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, explained earlier that the recently created OCU has no right to be called the “Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” owing to the fact that since 1991 another religious centre has been registered with this name. The document, whereby the OCU emerged – Tomos – does not allow the new church structure to be called other than the 'Orthodox Church of Ukraine' (OCU) or the 'Holy Church of Ukraine'."

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