Turchinov and NSDC should deal with threats toward the UOC, – expert

Publicist and TV presenter Viacheslav Pikhovshek believes that antichurch bill No. 5309 is a cynical attempt to interfere into the Church affairs; therefore, National Security and Defense Council should look into the matter to find who benefits from the new split in the society? It was stated by the political expert in his author’s program “Subjective results of the week” in NewsOne.

“The Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Spirituality approves new antichurch bill No. 5309,” says Pikhovshek. This bill is completely cynical: the legislator, ignoring church norms, according to which the Church is separated from the state, suggests taking away its name from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And to name it on behalf of the state: "ROC in Ukraine". Although it is clear that only the Church itself can decide how to call itself."

The publicist noted that such an initiative could be bad for the international image of Ukraine.

"The state should not interfere in the affairs of the Church," the TV host emphasized. "The authorities could figure out who benefits from creating another split line. Turchinov could establish what Medinsky's words – the chaplain of the UGCC – mean, who declared that "the main thing is to force the UOC to accept its inherent name of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine." But I understand that it's much more pleasant for Turchinov to create problems for Poroshenko – what he has been actually busy with all the time."

Bill No. 5309 suggests to amend the Law "on the names of religious organizations (associations) that are part of a religious organization (association) whose governing center (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that, according to the Law of Ukraine, recognized as carrying out military aggression against Ukraine and / or temporarily occupied part of the territory of Ukraine".