Kyiv Council deputy demands that authorities ban UOC

Igor Miroshnichenko, member of the Political Council of All-Ukrainian Association "Svoboda", deputy of the Kyiv City Council. Photo: screenshot of the video on the Magnolia TV YouTube channel

On May 14, 2020, Igor Miroshnichenko, a member of the Political Council of VO “Svoboda”, a deputy of the Kyiv City Council, demanded that the Ukrainian authorities ban the UOC.

“They (Ukrainian boxers Alexander Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko – Ed.) say that they are Orthodox, the Russian world, but at the same time go to the Church, which is not canonical, which does not actually practice religion, but which is engaged in propaganda of the Russian world,” said Miroshnichenko on the air of the Magnolia TV channel. “The state should ban the Russian Church (as he called the UOC – Ed.) as a propaganda organization.”

According to the deputy of the City Council, the UOC is both non-religious but at the same time non-canonical structure.

“This is not the Church, this is not a religion. These are propagandists who, pardon me, peddle Ukrainians. This is a non-canonical organization that ignores Orthodox canons, the requirements of the Mother Church, and most importantly, does not recognize the OCU, which became canonical after receiving the Tomos,” Miroshnichenko emphasized.

His interlocutor, journalist and public figure, political prisoner Ruslan Kotsaba, reminded his opponent of the criminal liability for inciting inter-religious hatred, but the latter began to interrupt him and scream.

“I would like to restrain your guest. I respect different points of view, but your guest is now engaged in such activities, which are classified by the Criminal Code of Ukraine <...> As a deputy of the City Council, Kiev, he might know that what he has just calumniated thus inciting religious hatred which is subject to criminal liability,” Kotsaba emphasized.

Earlier, the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, noted that a real terror was launched against the UOC.

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