Pope denounces Ukraine’s ban on Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church
August 26, 2024
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: At the conclusion of his August 25 Angelus address, Pope Francis denounced Ukraine’s newly enacted ban on religious groups affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church—a measure that effectively outlaws the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
“I continue to follow with sorrow the fighting in Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” Pope Francis said. “And in thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray, because those who truly pray always pray for all.”
“A person does not commit evil because of praying,” the Pope continued. “If someone commits evil against his people, he will be guilty for it, but he cannot have committed evil because he prayed.”
The Pope added:
So let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their church. Please, let no Christian church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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