The United States urges Ukraine's government and religious leaders in the country to practice tolerance and mutual understanding, the US State Department said on Monday in its annual report on religious freedom in the world
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2023) The United States urges Ukraine's government and religious leaders in the country to practice tolerance and mutual understanding, the US State Department said on Monday in its annual report on religious freedom in the world.
"(US) Embassy officials continued to urge the government and religious leaders to practice tolerance, restraint, and mutual understanding to ensure respect for all individuals' religious freedom and preferences. Embassy officials also continued to encourage religious groups to resolve property disputes peacefully and through dialogue with government officials," the report said.
The report accused Russia of "widespread religious freedom abuses" in Ukraine. It also said that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) continue to label the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) a "schismatic group."
"UOC leaders continued to accuse the OCU of seizing churches belonging to the UOC; the OCU responded that parishioners, rather than the OCU, had initiated the transfers of affiliation within the provisions of the law," the report said, adding that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave it autocephaly (independence) in 2019.
A senior State Department official confirmed that Washington is cooperating with the Ecumenical Patriarch on the issue of Ukraine. "We have been in communication with the Ecumenical Patriarch, and we continue to work closely with him and the church to combat malign influence efforts that the Russians are engaging in Ukraine," he told reporters in a press briefing.
In late 2018, then-Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew initiated the creation of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The new church was granted autocephaly, the status of an autonomous Christian church. The Russian Orthodox Church, which like many other churches, considers the new formation to be non-canonical, severed relations with the Constantinople Patriarchate and other spiritual leaders who recognized the split.
In recent months, Ukrainian authorities have increased pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate. On December 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an order on restrictive measures against representatives of religious organizations allegedly connected with Russia. On January 1, the clergy of the UOC was denied access to the Assumption Cathedral of its headquarters, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, while the OCU received permission from the authorities to hold a Christmas service in the cathedral on January 7.�
