Ukraine sacks official who opposed banning the Orthodox Church

Kiev, December 7, 2022

Photo: infopost.media Photo: infopost.media     

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers dismissed an official yesterday who was known for opposing a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which would violate Ukrainian legislation and cause great instability in society.

Though headlines claiming President Zelensky has banned the Church and taken the Lavra from it were exaggerated and sensationalized, nevertheless, more and more serious steps are being taken in that direction.

Until yesterday, Elena Bogdan headed the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience. The move comes just days after President Zelensky ordered the Service to examine the statutes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, to see if there is any “church-canonical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate.”

He also ordered that a bill be submitted to ban any religious organization with a connection to Russia.

Bogdan’s dismissal is no surprise, as Zelensky also ordered that the Service be reformed and placed under the direct authority of the Cabinet of Ministers, and because Bogdan was known for speaking calmly and objectively about the Church situation.

In addition to warning about the threat of societal destabilization, she has also confirmed that the statutes of the UOC adopted at the Council in May show no connection to the Russian Orthodox Church. Moreover, against the background of repeated calls to take the Kiev Caves Lavra away from the Church and give it to the schismatics, she has noted that the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” has nowhere near enough monastics to even make use of the Lavra.

Bogdan most recently addressed these issues in an interview last week.

Her dismissal was announced by Deputy Irina Geraschenko of Poroshenko’s European Solidarity Party:

Finally! The Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Elena Bogdan from the post of head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience. It was difficult to imagine a more odious and unprofessional appointment. Nevertheless, the lady who ideologically defended the Moscow Church had patronage in the Ministry of Culture and dealt with religious issues. European Solidarity has long insisted on the release of Bogdan. Better late than never.

And, according to Zelensky’s order, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience is now under the direct control of the Cabinet of Ministers.

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12/7/2022

See also
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Comments
Bonita 12/22/2022 4:44 am
So the lady Deborah two or three statements before this said that America is again supporting another dictator.. who was the?.. and if you don't stop a bully when you first starts grabbing for what's not his he'll keep right on.. no other democracies in Europe nor ourademocracy wants to fight Russia or China and have our own country destroyed.. get the picture now stop the bully in another country and keep him contained.. or would you have America looking like Ukraine right now A war torn country.. and don't tell me you know Putin's mind and where he's going to stop!! So let's just stop him and push him back and contain him.
Debra 12/8/2022 5:28 pm
Once again, America supporting another dictator and wasting our money….
Alex12/8/2022 2:39 am
That's it, eliminate the ONLY voice (Elena Bogdan) of sanity in your government...and make your implosion all the more quicker! Zelensky is an evil clown, and evil clowns will always get their just reward.
ACatharina12/7/2022 9:56 pm
They can claim all the buildings and religious sites on the world. What does it matter if the Spirit abandons them.
Andrew12/7/2022 9:04 pm
So much for the posturing about religious tolerance from the Western World.
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