President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a video conference with representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO). The head of state thanked the participants for their constant support of Ukraine and its citizens, who suffer daily from Russian attacks, UNN reports .
"In times of such a brutal Russian war against Ukraine, being with Ukraine and being in Ukraine means protecting all that is good and humane in human nature," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President also emphasized the important role of churches and religious organizations in telling the truth about the war. The world needs to hear the true voice of religious leaders and communities to understand how many churches and houses of worship were destroyed by the aggressor's shelling and how many lives were destroyed by Russian military structures.
Zelenskyy also noted that Russia uses the church to suppress the independence of other states and restrict the freedoms of their citizens.
"Therefore, it is our common duty to guarantee Ukraine's spiritual independence," he said.
The President noted that support for the legislative initiative aimed at strengthening the spiritual independence of Ukraine is extremely important. Members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations expressed support for the President's course on spiritual independence, protection of the constitutional order, public security, human rights and fundamental freedoms from abuse by the aggressor state.
The AUCCRO emphasized that no organization, religious or secular, that has its center in a country that has committed military aggression against Ukraine should operate in our country. For this reason, the council supports the government bill introduced at the initiative of the President to make it impossible for such organizations to operate in Ukraine.
The council members also said that the main threat to religious freedom in Ukraine is Russian aggression, which has led to the deaths of clergy and the destruction of hundreds of churches and houses of worship.
Recall
As UNN reported, next week the Verkhovna Rada is going to consider in the second reading a bill banning religious organizations that are associated with the aggressor country.