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Ukrainian Orthodox Church asks Poroshenko to veto bill on changing its name

The UOC deems the law unconstitutional

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko

© AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

KIEV, December 20. /TASS/. The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has asked President Pyotr Poroshenko to veto the bill demanding that it indicate in its name its affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church approved by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament), the UOC Legal Department said in a statement on Thursday.

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Canonical Ukrainian Church ousts two bishops who took part in ‘unification council’

"We consider this law to be unconstitutional and are determined to protect our rights by all legal means. We ask the Ukrainian president to exercise his veto power," the statement runs.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada demanded that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) indicate its affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church in its name. The document stipulates, in particular, that the name of the church, which is part of a religious organization "with its center in the aggressor state" should reflect its affiliation with that religious organization outside the country.

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