Poturaev: Joining OCU is not a must, the main thing is to break with Moscow

Mykyta Poturaev. Photo: Ukrinform

Member of the Verkhovna Rada from the Servant of the People faction and Chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Mykyta Poturaev, stated that after the law banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Ukraine comes into effect, the unification of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is not mandatory. According to the deputy, the main goal is to sever ties with the aggressor state.

This was reported by the parliamentary press service, citing Poturaev’s statement, as conveyed by Ukrainian News.

"They simply won’t be able to hide behind the 'authority' of Moscow and the Kremlin, but they can perfectly exist without it. I am convinced that no less than two-thirds of the UOC are constructive people who do not want to have ties with Moscow. Perhaps not all of them are ready to unite with the OCU, but that is not necessary. Those who wish to transition to the OCU are already doing so. These processes have not stopped, and with the new law, everything will, to some extent, become simpler. Believers will have more rights to choose which church they want to belong to. However, these are church matters, and they are not resolved quickly. But this law is not about the church, it is about ties with the enemy, and as a state, we have never interfered in church affairs," noted the deputy.

Poturaev also reported that the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience must develop the necessary regulatory acts within three months after the law is signed. He stated that the implementation of the law is proceeding according to plan and assured that the regulatory framework for this law will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in three months.

As the UOJ reported, the head of the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada, MP Poturaev, claims that the UOC is ready to create provocations at churches for television coverage.

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