At the meeting, the President of Ukraine assured that the Ukrainian state will defend the right of clergy and laity to a free choice of church jurisdiction.
“Poroshenko frankly lies in his statement. By intruding into the religious sphere, he violates the fundamental law of Ukraine. According to the Constitution, the church is separated from the state. He, apparently, is trying to soften the public debate, which he himself initiated. In fact, his statement is a Pharisee. In fact, he launched a persecution against the UOC-MP. His unfriendly statements about the parishioners of the canonical Orthodox Church clearly demonstrate his true attitude towards this religious organization, ”Mezyuho said.
The expert is confident that the Ukrainian leader "will continue to use the theme of Tomos in his election campaign."
“He has already gone so far that he will not retreat ... The most dramatic thing is that, in fact, Poroshenko’s actions lead the Ukrainian state to civil religious confrontation. All this can have extremely negative consequences for the Ukrainian statehood, ”he said.
Earlier, the press secretary of the President of Ukraine Svyatoslav Tsegolko confirmed that Petro Poroshenko had a meeting with a number of hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).