INTERFERENCE OF KIEV AND WASHINGTON IN AFFAIRS OF UPTs DESCRIBED IN FEDERATION COUNCIL
RIA Novosti, 13 September 2018
The interference of the leadership of Ukraine and the U.S.A. in resolving internal issues of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPTs) violates the secular character of the Ukrainian state and undermines the foundations of cooperation of the state and religious organizations, declared the head of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Statehood of the Russian Federation Council, Andrei Klishas.
Earlier on Tuesday the press service of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reported that the head of state met with the representative of the US.A. for religious freedom, Samuel Brownback, who gave assurance that the "United States in the future will support Ukraine in its struggle for restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the right to have a united Ukrainian autocephalous Orthodox church."
"The blatant interference of the leadership of Ukraine in the resolution of the question connected with the establishment of the so-called independent Ukrainian church does not withstand any criticism. Acting in contrast to the provisions of the constitution, the leadership of Ukraine has again shown its real attitude toward the restrictions that are provided by its provisions," the senator told RIA Novosti.
He recalled that article 35 of the Ukrainian constitution provides that the "church and religious organizations in Ukraine are separate from the state," and the provision of article 36 indicates that "all associations of citizens are equal before the law." The lawmaker noted that the "leadership of Ukraine, using the granting of so-called autocephalous status to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is resolving purely political tasks, which undermines the constitutional principles of a secular state and the independence of religious organizations."
Klishas said: "No less important is the fact that the violation of the independence of the activity of religious associations in Ukraine is being done by foreign states, again with the full and comprehensive support of the Ukrainian powers that be."
"The statement by the American ambassador with special assignments regarding matters of international religious freedom to the effect that the U.S.A. in the future will give Ukraine support in the struggle for the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Moscow patriarchate shows the real attitude of the U.S.A. toward the sovereignty of other countries in their domestic affairs," the senator noted.
The lawmaker emphasized that the "secular character of the state does not rule out the possibility of giving support to religious organizations." But he is sure that the most important questions "must be decided by religious organizations independently and separate from the national authorities and foreign states, and even more so regardless of the political situation." The crisis of sovereignty must not go over into a crisis of other public institutions, the lawmaker concluded.
Last Friday the Constantinople patriarchate reported that, "within the framework of the preparation for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox church in Ukraine," it has appointed its own exarchs in Kiev. This decision was sharply condemned by the Moscow patriarchate, which called it intrusion into the canonical territory of another local church. The chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan Ilarion, declared that the Moscow patriarchate will sever eucharistic communion with the Constantinople patriarchate in the event of its granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian church. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 September 2018)
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