Ukrainian authorities try to manipulate the Church under the guise of law, – Patriarch of Alexandria

Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore II spoke with a sharp critique towards the Ukrainian authorities in view of the two draft laws, submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which discriminate the rights of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, writes Interfax.

This action of the Ukrainian government, when it tries to manipulate the Orthodox Church under the guise of legality and subordinate it to state and political interests, rudely violates the legally established and for many years enshrined principle of religious freedom," says the letter of Theodore II to Patriarch Kirill.

According to the Alexandrian Patriarch, this legislative initiative also contradicts the European Convention on Human Rights and violates most of its provisions.

"The state cannot arbitrarily adopt laws on the Church without the participation of the Church itself, moreover, in the country that claims to respect European values and tries hard to tie itself even closer to the main European institutions," the message says.

In the opinion of the Patriarch, the leadership of Ukraine should take a neutral stance, "and not be tied to the chariot of irresponsible nationalist circles, behaving in a way that is not proper for a truly European state."

As the UOJ reported earlier, World Council of Churches addresses President and Speaker with a request to withdraw anti-church bills.