The World Council of Churches believes that the Ukrainian authorities had no grounds to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The World Council of Churches issued a statement regarding the law passed in Ukraine that allows for the potential ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The text of the statement was published on the organization’s website.

The Council expressed its “concern about the possibility of unjust collective punishment of an entire religious community and the violation of the principles of freedom of religion or belief under the new law.”

“We once again call on the Ukrainian authorities to exercise caution regarding measures that risk violating the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief and undermining social cohesion during this time of national emergency,” the statement said.

The Council noted that “neither the crimes of certain individuals nor the historical affiliation of a particular religious organization can justify measures tantamount to collective punishment of a living religious community in Ukraine.”

“The Ukrainian government is responsible for protecting the rights of all its citizens,” the organization stated.

As a reminder, on Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that paves the way for the ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Following this, Pope Francis urged “not to ban any Christian church, either directly or indirectly.”