Churches to Refrain from Electioneering

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations and the State Committee for Religious Affairs have suggested that tougher legal action should be taken against the state, politicians, churches, and religious organizations seeking to use religious institutions for political campaigning purposes. “We are convinced that representatives of churches and religious organizations who have breached the Constitution and the law by being involved in political campaigns must be made aware of their mistakes and do their best to correct them,” reports Interfax-Ukraine, citing a statement issued last Monday by the State Committee for Religious Affairs. Religious activists also say they do not intend “to struggle for a privileged position for themselves or try to infringe the rights of others and be guided by the spirit of victory or relentlessness toward those who express different views.” The statement was signed by hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the Theological Administration of Ukrainian Muslims, the Theological Administration of Crimean Muslims, the Association of Jewish Religious Organizations in Ukraine, and other religious institutions in this country.