The State Service of Ukraine for Ethno -Policy and Freedom of Conscience (Dess) made an official prescription of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC -MP), demanding to eliminate violation of the legislation on freedom of conscience and religious organizations by August 18. The main subject of the prescription was to expose the signs of affiliation of the UOC -MP with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the need to stop these ties.
According to Descs, research confirmed that the Metropolitanate of the UOC -MP keeps dependence on the ROC, despite official attempts to distance themselves from the Moscow Patriarchate. In order to fulfill the order, Metropolitan Onufrii must grant the decisions of the higher church authorities on the withdrawal of the UOC from the structure of the ROC, as well as to abolish all the statutory provisions of the Russian Orthodox Church concerning the activities of the UOC.
The process of termination of ties includes the recall of representatives of the UOC-clergy, monks and nuns-from such structures of the ROC as the Holy Synod, Bishops and Local Councils, inter-line presence, synodal departments and other governing and church-canonical bodies.
In addition, all decisions of the ROC on the annexation of the UOC dioceses and the appointment of heads of diocesan departments of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be declared invalid.
Particular attention in the document is paid to the obligation of Metropolitan Onufri publicly to state his disagreement with the inclusion in the statutory governing bodies of the ROC and to prepare an official statement for the completion of cooperation and termination of all links between the UOC and the ROC.
