On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy made a surprising announcement that he claims is a “necessary” evil. As President Joe Biden continues to throw billions in American money at Ukraine to aid in their fight against Russia, Zelensky declared a ban on the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
Reporter Greg Price tweeted, “Zelensky announces a decree banning religious organizations and churches in Ukraine with “ties to Russia.” His government has also been raiding Ukrainian Orthodox churches and arresting priests.”
Attached to his post is Zelensky’s video announcement, in which he states,“The NSDC instructed the government to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a bill on the impossibility of the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the centers of influence in the Russian Federation in Ukraine.”
Zelensky announces a decree banning religious organizations and churches in Ukraine with “ties to Russia.”
His government has also been raiding Ukrainian Orthodox churches and arresting priests.
https://t.co/djTMYRp0ak— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 2, 2022
“In addition, the state Service for Ethnopolitics and freedom of Conscience has been instructed to ensure the religious studies examination of the Statute on the Management of the UOC for the presence of a church-canonical with connection with the Moscow Patriarchate and, if necessary, apply the measures provided for by law,” the leader turned dictator continued.
Zelensky added,”It is necessary to create such conditions in which any figures dependent on the aggressor country will not be able to manipulate Ukrainians and weaken Ukraine from within”.
Reuters reports:
The Ukrainian government will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia under moves described by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as necessary to prevent Moscow being able to “weaken Ukraine from within.”
In a move condemned in Moscow, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council told the government to draft the law following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow as Russia wages war on Ukraine.
The security council, which groups top security, military and political figures, also ordered investigations into suspected “subversive activities of Russian special services in the religious environment of Ukraine” and called for sanctions against unspecified individuals.
Ukrainian media quoted sources as saying a pro-Russia former lawmaker and a senior cleric already faced “personal” sanctions, but the reports could not be confirmed independently.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) also continued its raids on Friday, saying it searched at least five parishes belonging to a branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which until May was subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church.
It also served a notice of suspicion to a former diocese head for allegedly coordinating a pro-Moscow information campaign with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Donald Trump Jr. threw a jab at both Zelensky and Biden in response to the announcement. He tweeted, “BREAKING: Zelensky is banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. His government has also been raiding Ukrainian Orthodox churches and arresting priests. (Prob why he’s a Dem superstar) He’s all about freedom guys. Let’s send him another $100,000,000,000.00 with no accountability.”
BREAKING: Zelensky is banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
His government has also been raiding Ukrainian Orthodox churches and arresting priests. (Prob why he’s a Dem superstar)
He’s all about freedom guys. Let’s send him another $100,000,000,000.00 with no accountability.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 2, 2022
Banning church in an attempt to put God in a box so that Ukrainians aren’t weakened will do quite the opposite. If anything, now people will have to meet and worship in private and instead of being unified in support of him, they will be unified against him.
It is also an interesting move considering Zelensky is Jewish. You’d think that given the treatment of Jewish people throughout history, that he would be more compassionate towards people of faith and not try to take away their means of worship.
