Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkassy and Kanevsky spoke at the United Nations on March 20, 2024 at the meeting "General Debate on human rights situations requiring the attention of the UN Human Rights Council," the Union of Orthodox Journalists reports with reference to the NGO Public Human Rights Protection.
The hierarch spoke about physical violence against believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, about the seizure of churches and lawsuits by the authorities, in particular, regarding the seizure of land plots on which churches stand.
"As the ruling bishop of one of the dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, I am subject to criminal prosecution by the Ukrainian authorities for countering violations of the rights of believers, for expressing my religious beliefs and theological position. Criminal cases were also initiated against several other metropolitans of our denomination, one of whom, at the age of 75, was sentenced to five years in prison simply for telling the truth in his sermons," said Bishop Theodosius.
The bishop said that the UN special rapporteurs had sent three messages to Ukraine, but all of them remained without due attention from the authorities.
"The lawlessness of the Ukrainian authorities must be stopped. I call on the international community to more vigorously defend justice and human rights in Ukraine," Metropolitan Theodosius said.