Ukraine's Canonical Orthodox Church Sues Ukrainian Culture Ministry Over Renaming Demand

The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has filed a lawsuit against the Ukrainian Culture Ministry over its demand that the church be renamed, the press service of a Kiev District administrative court said on Friday in a statement

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2019) The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has filed a lawsuit against the Ukrainian Culture Ministry over its demand that the church be renamed, the press service of a Kiev District administrative court said on Friday in a statement.

In December 2018, Ukraine enacted a law that sought to make the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate change its name within four months.

"The Kiev District administrative court received a lawsuit from the Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture asking to cancel [the ministry's] order to approve a theological examination that will determine a list of religious organizations that are to be subjected to the .

.. Ukrainian law 'On freedom of conscience and religious organizations,'" the press service said.

The statement stressed that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church had asked the court to recognize as illegal the ministry's demand that the religious organization on this list be renamed and re-registered.

"Now, [the court] is deciding on whether to start administrative proceedings on the issue," the court added.

Kiev launched a crackdown on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church last year following the establishment of the new Ukrainian church, which on January 6 was recognized by Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew.