Department for External Church Relations
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DECR representative attends Vienna discussions on the issues posed by the humanitarian dimension of the Organizations for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Communications Service of the DECR, 22.10.2026.
On 21st October 2026 under the auspices of the permanent representation of the Russian Federation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and with the support of the permanent representation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE an international human rights event entitled ‘Vienna discussions’ took place.
On the agenda of the session were key themes of human rights issues, including the fight against aggressive nationalism and religious intolerance, the rejection of the heroization of Nazism and the defence of the rights of minors and the way elections are held.
During the working session devoted to the struggle with religious intolerance, aide to the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Father Feodor Shulga gave a presentation on factual instances of religious persecution in Ukraine specifically aimed against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In his presentation the representative of the DECR spoke of the judicial measures aimed at a factual prohibition and the judicial liquidation of diocesan administrations, monasteries and parish communities. He also touched upon the violent military mobilization of hundreds of clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and other mass violations of her clergy and faithful.
The author of the presentation put special emphasis on Ukrainian state propaganda which cultivates the language of violence in relation to religious communities and the cruel murder of an inmate of the Holy Mountain Monastery which remains uninvestigated.
Patriarch
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