Vladimir R. Legoida: Stripping Ukrainian bishops of their citizenship is the latest round of fight against the canonical Church

DECR Communication Service, 17.02.2023.

Vladimir. R. Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media, has commented on the decision of the State Migration Service of Ukraine to strip five bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of their citizenship and called this fact the latest round of fight against the canonical Church.

According to mass media reports, Metropolitan Mark of Hust and Vinogradov; Archbishop Panteleimon of Buchany, a vicar of the Diocese of Kiev; Archbishop Viktor of Artsiz, a vicar of the Diocese of Odessa; Bishop Gedeon of Makarov and Bishop Spiridon of Vishnevoye, vicars of the Diocese of Kiev, have been stripped of citizenship.

“The Ukrainian authorities continue to carry out targeted elimination of the only canonical Church in Ukraine. They once again use citizenship stripping as a repression against the Church. As the world human rights community keeps appreciative silence, the objective of wiping out the undesirable religious community is being attained in the most disgusting manner,” Mr. Legoida said.

“There is no and cannot be any evidence to suggest that these bishops have ever done any harm to Ukraine. Their only fault is that they had not moved to religious organization which Ukrainian authorities consider close and desirable,” he added.

“The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will leave a mark in history of Europe and the entire world as an example of the most shameful impunity along with the persecution of the Church by the Soviet godless. We call upon international human rights organizations to turn attention to lawless actions towards representatives of religious organizations in Ukraine,” Mr. Legoida said in conclusion, Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media reports.

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Vladimir R. Legoida: Stripping Ukrainian bishops of their citizenship is the latest round of fight against the canonical Church

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Patriarch

Department Chairman

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