In Ukraine, a criminal case has been initiated against the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Pavlo (Peter Lebed in the world). He is accused of "violating the equality of citizens based on their religious beliefs."
The case was initiated in connection with the metropolitan's Christmas speech. In it, he stated that the authorities of Ukraine organized the persecution of the local Orthodox Church, and also called the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Filaret "the living devil." After that, Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Yaroslav Yurchyshyn turned to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to verify Pavel's statements. In his opinion, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery "sows discord" among believers.
At the same time, on Thursday, the government of Ukraine submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. As the authors of the document stated, its adoption will make it impossible to "work in Ukraine for religious organizations whose management is located outside the country in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine."
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (previously called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), abbreviated UOC (MP) - Prim.RS) after the start of the war declared its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church, however, the charter certifying this separation has not yet been approved by the relevant registration authorities in Ukraine. However, the church stopped using the reference to the Moscow Patriarchate in its name. Liturgical communication with the Russian Orthodox Church has been preserved.
In November, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches in various churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It is claimed that, in particular, pro-Russian literature was found. At the time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church urged "not to incite an internal war" and stated that the accusations of collaborationism against some priests were "unproven and groundless." In December, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree by which the National Security and Defense Council decided to impose sanctions against seven prominent figures of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
