Pope condemns Ukrainian ban on Orthodox Church

Pope Francis has criticised Ukraine's ban on the country's Orthodox Church that the government says is linked to Russia.

"No Christian church may be abolished directly or indirectly. The churches must not be touched," the pontiff said in his Sunday prayers, condemning a law recently passed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Ukraine's government says the ban is justified because the Moscow Patriarchate supports the Russian war of aggression.

The Pope told tens of thousands of believers in St Peter's Square that "one does not commit evil by praying. If someone does something evil to his people, he is guilty. But he can't have done anything bad by praying".

Ukraine has previously accused the Pope of taking sides with Russia, a charge the Vatican rejects.

For a long time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church set the tone in Ukraine's complex church landscape.

It belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate until 2022 but after the Russian invasion it officially cut its ties to Russia and condemned the war.

Nevertheless, Ukraine's government accuses it of justifying Russian crimes against its own people and spreading Russian propaganda.

An estimated three million worshippers are affected by the ban.

Zelenskiy signed a law banning Russian-aligned religious organisations, the parliament website said on Saturday.

with Reuters