Pope Francis Criticized the Law Banning the UOC: "Churches Are Inviolable!" — August 25, 2024

Pope Francis Criticized the Law Banning the UOC: "Churches Are Inviolable!" — August 25, 2024

On August 25, 2024, Pope Francis expressed concerns about freedom of religion in Ukraine in light of the adoption of Law No. 3894 (known as the "Law Banning the UOC") on August 20, 2024, and its signing by Zelensky on August 24.

(Source: Vatican News)

The Holy See's information resource Vatican News published Ukraine-related excerpts from the address delivered by the Head of the Roman Catholic Church to pilgrims after reciting the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, August 25.

"I continue to follow with pain the hostilities in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation, and when I think about the legislative norms recently adopted by Ukraine, I have concerns for the freedom of those who pray, because whoever prays always prays for everyone. It is impossible to do evil through prayer.

"If someone commits a wrongdoing against their people, they will be guilty of that, but they cannot be doing evil because they prayed. Therefore, let whoever wishes to pray, pray in the Church they consider their own.

Please, do not directly or indirectly abolish any Christian Church: Churches are inviolable."

Thus, the late Pope Francis effectively spoke out against the veiled attempts by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities to ban or liquidate an entire Christian church — the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He made clear that the possible crimes of specific individuals cannot be attributed to their prayer — that is, to their faith and religious affiliation — and that guilt cannot be arbitrarily extended to an entire denomination as a whole.