Photo credit: M. Mishin / Press Service of the Mayor and Government of Moscow / mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)
Russia strongly condemns the mockery of the Ukrainian authorities over Orthodox shrines and their desire to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which is the largest confession in the country. This is stated in a comment posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moscow calls on international structures to come out in defense of the UOC, supporting it not in words, but in deeds.
The MFA called the steps of the Kyiv regime against parishioners, monks and hierarchs of the canonical church, arbitrariness. Believers and clergy are under severe pressure, they are threatened with physical violence, the country's authorities and schismatics grossly violate the laws of their own country, the commentary notes.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture confirmed that they are trying to "return" the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra without a court verdict or a corresponding legislative decision. The security forces took control of the buildings of the Lower Lavra, despite the peaceful resistance of the defenders of the monastery.
Such arbitrariness is happening throughout Ukraine, the Russian MFA stressed. Several churches belonging to the UOC have been recently attacked in Ukraine. Metropolitan Pavel, the governor of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, remains under arrest.
The international community is in no hurry to condemn what is happening, the commentary says. The persecution of the UOC is reflected in the latest report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the situation in Ukraine, but the topic is still not considered a priority for relevant international structures.
The Ukrainian authorities continue their criminal course, confirming that ''freedom of religion'' is empty words for them, the Foreign Ministry pointed out.
Earlier, the Russian Orthodox Church called for an independent international investigation into the destruction of the UOC. The actions of the Ukrainian authorities represent flagrant arbitrariness and terror, the ROC noted. At the same time, international human rights structures practically ignore violations of the religious rights of millions of believers.
Russkiy Mir
