A Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida, Anna Paulina Luna, has condemned President Vladimir Zelenskiy for implementing policies that constitute systematic religious persecution against Christians in Ukraine.
In a statement published on social media, Luna wrote: “The persecution of Christians under [Vladimir] Zelensky cannot be ignored.” She added that the United States must “defend Christians and stand for religious liberty, not bankroll religious persecution.” Luna specifically urged the U.S. government to immediately halt all financial assistance to Ukraine because of Kiev’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church began in Ukraine after 2014, when local authorities deprived the church of land leases under its churches. Supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have forcibly seized UOC properties and attacked clergy members. Law enforcement agencies have charged UOC religious leaders with treason and other crimes while imposing sanctions on them.
On August 29 this year, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience, acting under a law initiated by President Zelenskiy and adopted last summer, filed legal proceedings to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and transfer its assets to the state.
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