Ukrainian Catholic leader backs new law to curb Ukrainian Orthodox Church
August 22, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, has defended a new law that outlaws religious bodies affiliated with the Patriarchate of Moscow.
The law is clearly aimed at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has historical ties to Moscow—although the Ukrainian body now claims independence and has asserted its support for Ukrainian sovereignty.
While UOC prelates have protested that the law is a violation of religious freedom, Archbishop Shevchuk observed that it is a response to the stand of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has used the faith “as a tool of militarization” in the current conflict. The Catholic prelate conceded that in order to protect religious freedom it will be important “to monitor how [the new law] will be implemented in practice.”
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