In Berlin, European theologians sharply condemned the Ukrainian authorities' violations against the UOC-MP

A theological consultation on state-confessional relations in Ukraine was held in Berlin during the UN week dedicated to harmonious interfaith relations.

The event was attended by theologians and experts from Germany, Switzerland, France and Latvia.

At the outset, they stated that military aggression "cannot justify violations by democratic Ukraine.

Natalia Vasilevich, a Belarusian Orthodox human rights activist currently living in Germany, noted in her speech that restrictions on freedom of conscience cannot be discriminatory.

"With regard to religious freedom, state security is not such a legitimate objective - this is specifically mentioned in the Human Rights Committee's general comment No. 22 on article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," Vasilevich said.

According to her, freedom of speech allows criticism of any denomination. However, if officials use hate speech, if it is systematic and leads to acts of violence, the state must respond to such statements.

Vasilevich said that the Ukrainian authorities are in a deadlock with regard to the UOC, as there are concerns about repression against this confession by Western partners, on whose support Ukraine depends in a difficult military situation.

Justyna Panina (France), Master of Theology, member of the Administrative Council of the Vicariate of the Metropolis of Gaul of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, commenting on the conflicts in Ukraine, drew attention to the experience of Orthodox communities in France. She noted that "a fixed membership with mandatory membership fees does not eliminate all possible problems, but it provides a much more transparent system when voting for jurisdictional changes."

According to Panina, at least partial implementation of such a system could ensure greater protection of the Orthodox communities of the UOC from raiders.

Sociologist and publicist Nikolay Mitrokhin (Germany) noted that Ukraine lacks independent monitoring of the religious situation. According to him, there are many examples of manipulation to distort the voting results during the recount:

- Of course there are cases where the majority of the congregation moves from one church to another, but they are an absolute minority. However, most "transitions" mean either division in the former communities, often accompanied by disputes over who gets the church, or active pressure on the communities by external forces (primarily local administrations and activists of socio-political organisations who were not previously engaged in active religious practice and membership in the community), or direct seizure of churches and parish property from the "wrong" church in favour of the "national" church by administrative or openly illegal methods, with the use of direct violence.

Ukraine is a multi-confessional and multi-ethnic state. Accordingly, no Orthodox Church can claim the status of "the church of the Ukrainian people", including because its support by the ruling authorities does not necessarily mean its support and recognition among the faithful...

Most 'transitions' either signify splits in former congregations, often accompanied by disputes over church affiliation, or involve active pressure on congregations from external forces (primarily local authorities and activists from socio-political organisations not previously involved in active religious practice and congregational membership), or involve the direct seizure of churches. the seizure of churches and parish property from the "wrong" church in favour of the "national" church through administrative or

outright illegal methods, often involving direct violence. Mitrokhin claims that many (if not most) of the "transitioned" congregations remain and hold regular services because the vast majority of clergy refuse to participate in these "transitions".

He also placed responsibility for religious conflicts on state authorities, which since Poroshenko's presidency have begun to rudely interfere in denominational affairs. The conflict started with direct state interference in the sphere of religious relations and is mainly supported by political accusations and state pressure practices. Xenophobic statements by church figures and the involvement of priests and church activists are of secondary importance. According to Nikolay Mitrokhin, state intervention in this sphere could become a topic of discussion between representatives of the EU and the Ukrainian government.

The participants in the meeting said that changing the religious policy was in the interests of the Ukrainian leadership, as it removes a number of issues from the European Christian community and deprives Moscow of the opportunity to use the religious factor in its own interests, including by weakening European and United States support for Ukraine. As previously reported, in Nataliya Vasylievich's opinion, the Ukrainian authorities have backed themselves into a corner in the situation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the media repeatedly Reportes on truly bandit raids on parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. Representatives of the so-called schismatic "Orthodox Church of Ukraine" took part in them, with Ukrainian nationalists from organisations banned in the Russian Federation acting as a security bloc. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against many dozens of priests and abbots of the UOC-MP, and some have already received prison sentences for their adherence to the true Orthodox faith.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the holiest shrine of Orthodoxy, has also fallen into the hands of the schismatics. All this has taken place and is taking place with the direct support of the local authorities, who receive instructions for such actions directly from the office of the President of Ukraine.
The continuation of such actions will inevitably lead to a further escalation of the conflict and its transition into a bloody phase. nternational human rights and religious organisations must begin to take effective measures to prevent such a course of events.