Home page News
DECR chairman spoke at a meeting of the UN&nb…

DECR chairman spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council

DECR Communication Service, 18.01.2023. 

On January 17, the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations spoke virtually at a meeting of the United Nation Security Council delivering a report on the situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

During his 10 minutes-long speech, Metropolitan Anthony stressed that the Russian Orthodox Church believes it is her duty to take part in defending the rights of believers around the world both on her own and in cooperation with other Local Orthodox Churches and other religious organizations.

Pointing to the high peace-making potential of the Church in inter-state and civic conflicts, the DECR chairman noted that this potential has been undermined by the Ukrainian authorities’ attempts to destroy the millions-strong Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the largest religious organization in Ukraine.

Metropolitan Anthony recounted the contents of the latest decisions of the Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council enforced by President Zelensky’s decrees and intended to introduce a number of measures infringing upon the rights of the Orthodox communities in Ukraine. In particular, the Ukrainian leaders have imposed the so-called ‘sanctions’ on fourteen hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and a number of her archpastors have been deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.

The DECR chairman reminded the audience that the deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship is directly contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine and the international agreements she signed, in particular the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. He pointed out that the decision on the imposition of ‘sanctions’ and on the deprivation of citizenship was made by a narrow group of persons without a legal investigation and an opportunity for protestation and is applied to only one religious organization and constitutes ‘a form of mass political repressions’. Moreover, what these decisions restrict are ‘precisely the constitutional rights and freedoms which the Ukrainian Constitution Article 64 forbids to limit during martial law or emergency situation’.

Having compared the situation of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine today with the years of atheistic persecutions in the Soviet Union, Metropolitan Anthony spoke about the mass searches carried out by the Ukrainian special services in diocesan administrations, monasteries and parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and about the bringing an action before court against clergy under hollow pretexts.

The DECR chairperson noted that the repressions against the Orthodox episcopate in Ukraine have become the culmination of the Ukrainian authorities’ persistent policy aimed to take control of the religious life of society. Precisely with this aim, pursued with the participation of the state apparatus and special services, that the so-called ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ has been created, and the Ukrainian authorities’ further actions are aimed at forcing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s communities to join the newly created organization.

Metropolitan Anthony informed the meeting about an actually legalized mechanism of seizing churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and attempts of the state to deprive her of her historical name, and about seven more bills registered in the Supreme Rada with the aim to infringe upon the rights of communities and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to deprive her of her churches and to impose absolute prohibition on her activity in the territory of Ukraine.

The DECR chairman drew the attention of the meeting to ‘the unbridled slander campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which has called to impose absolute prohibition on her activity, to use pressure and violence towards her representatives, which represents clear signs of the hate speech and has resulted in an upsurge of violence toward the clergy and communities of the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

In conclusion of his message, Metropolitan Anthony called the UN and members of the Security Council to pay attention ‘to the unlawful actions of the Ukrainian state authorities with regard to the largest confession of the country, to numerous facts of the violation of the rights of the faithful’ guaranteed by the UN Charter and other international legal documents and declarations.

Share:
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends condolences following the explosion at Iranian port of Bandar Abbas

27.04.2025

Primates of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches сelebrate Liturgy at Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

25.04.2025

Primates of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin

23.04.2025

A meeting of the Primates of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches has taken place

22.04.2025

Сondolences of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the passing of Pope Francis

21.04.2025

His Holiness Patriarch celebrates Paschal vespers on Easter Sunday at Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

20.04.2025

Paschal Message by Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia

19.04.2025

On Good Friday the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Vespers with the Procession of the Burial Sheet of the Saviour at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.

18.04.2025

On Thursday of Holy Week the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy and Office for the Consecration of Myrrh at Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

17.04.2025

Patriarch Kirill addresses Primates of Local Orthodox Churches, Christian Leaders, Heads of State, and International organizations regarding law banning the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church

11.04.2025

Primate of the Russian Church leads celebrations in Donskoy Monastery marking the centenary of Patriarch Tikhon’s demise

06.04.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends congratulations to Archbishop Joani of Tirana and All Albania on his enthronement

29.03.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends condolences over devastating earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand

28.03.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends congratulations to Archbishop Joani of Tirana and All Albania on his election as Primate of Albanian Orthodox Church

16.03.2025

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends letter to His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch concerning tragic developments in Syria

11.03.2025

Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk celebrates Divine Liturgy at the church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr in Rome

27.04.2025

DECR Chairman attended the funeral of Pope Francis

26.04.2025

DECR Chairman attends farewell ceremony for Pope Francis

25.04.2025

DECR Chairman meets with Russian Ambassador to Italy

25.04.2025

DECR Chairman begins his visit to Italy and the Vatican

24.04.2025

First Hierarch of the Serbian Church visits Donskoy Monastery in Moscow

23.04.2025

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije visits Serbian Metochion in Moscow

23.04.2025

Primates of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin

23.04.2025

DECR Chairman attends a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group

22.04.2025

A meeting of the Primates of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches has taken place

22.04.2025

Delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church arrives in Moscow headed by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia

21.04.2025

DECR Chairman expresses condolences on the passing of Pope Francis

21.04.2025

His Holiness Patriarch celebrates Paschal vespers on Easter Sunday at Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

20.04.2025

On Good Friday the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Vespers with the Procession of the Burial Sheet of the Saviour at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.

18.04.2025

On Thursday of Holy Week the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy and Office for the Consecration of Myrrh at Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

17.04.2025

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب