No Christian Church Should Be Prohibited: Pope Francis on Orthodox Church in Ukraine

No Christian church should be prohibited. This was declared by Pope Francis while addressing the ban on the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. "Considering the recent laws adopted in Ukraine, I am afraid for the freedom of worshippers. Those who truly pray always pray for everyone. Evil is not done because of prayer. If someone commits evil against their people, they will be guilty. But they do not commit evil because they pray. And let everyone have the opportunity to pray in the place they consider a church. I ask that no Christian church be banned. The church should not be touched," said the pontiff at the end of his Sunday sermon in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

It should be noted that just the day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law prohibiting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the country. The bill was prepared personally at the instruction of Zelensky and was passed in its first reading in Parliament in October 2023. For nearly a year, it was not presented for second reading discussions due to concerns from Ukrainian authorities that the bill would not gather enough votes. After final amendments on August 16, the relevant parliamentary committee of the Rada approved the bill. Today, Zelensky has already signed the law banning the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.