PACE to hear a report on the UOC discrimination in Ukraine

The representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (CoE PACE) Vadim Novinsky will take the floor at the PACE session with a report on discrimination against the largest Ukrainian denomination – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – and attempts to foment sectarian war in Ukraine, said the politician in an interview on January 24.

The aim of the report is the need to inform European colleagues about a real situation in Ukraine in order to prevent the threat of religious war in the heart of Europe. "Pressure on the clerics and bishops by the authorities, introduction of legislation discriminating against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – this is Ukrainian present-day realities. That's what our report is about," said Vadim Novinsky.

"44 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been seized over the past three years. Priests are beaten, divine services are disrupted. And this all is done under the cover of patriotic slogans. In fact, they are struggling with the Church. It can lead to dire consequences. This may lead to incitement of religious war in the country. And it should be in every way prevented," he stressed.

In addition, the politician spoke about new initiatives of Ukrainian parliamentarians in the language field, calling not to split the country. "Instead of looking for a compromise, instead of looking for the formula of peace how to reconcile the people, how to overcome the division in the society, they deepen this division," said the MP.

"History shows: gross invasion in the humanitarian sphere, which is religion and language, leads to grave consequences. It is necessary to approach this issue very carefully. It is necessary in every way to protect the present fragile religious peace, to preserve the language peace but not to intrude rudely," concluded the politician.