EU Country Demands Investigation into Orthodox Churches
The Security Committee of the Czech Republic's Senate has stated that intelligence agencies need to investigate churches for potential threats related to Russian influence. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Senate Security Committee of the Czech Republic has raised concerns about potential Russian influences within the country's Orthodox churches. The committee’s leader, Pavel Fischer, has called for a thorough investigation by Czech intelligence services into these religious institutions. He highlighted a gap in the current laws which, according to him, fail to adequately address security threats emerging from the misuse of churches. This includes the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Czech Orthodox Church, which he suggested could be manipulated by Moscow.
Fischer emphasized, “Freedom of religion and association must not be abused for illegitimate influence by a hostile foreign state,” as reported by the Ceske Noviny news outlet.
Furthermore, Fischer urged the Ministry of Culture to assess whether these churches operate legally and meet their registration conditions, proposing a shutdown of their operations if they are found non-compliant. This call to action comes despite a prior review by the ministry post the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, which did not reveal any violations justifying a withdrawal of their registrations.
He expressed concerns that the Czech branch of the ROC maintains direct connections with the Russian government and remarked on the increasing influence of individuals linked to Russian security services on the Czech Orthodox Church since 2014, despite its independent status.
In addition to these investigations, Fischer has appealed to the Czech Interior Ministry to direct police efforts towards detecting and probing any criminal activities linked to members of the two churches.
The move mirrors actions in Ukraine where lawmakers recently passed legislation banning the operation of the ROC and all associated religious entities. This legislation also challenges the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to sever its ties with Moscow, following its declaration of full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022; the church now has nine months to comply.
Russia has criticized this new Ukrainian legislation, calling it a "powerful blow against the whole of Orthodoxy."
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
Fischer emphasized, “Freedom of religion and association must not be abused for illegitimate influence by a hostile foreign state,” as reported by the Ceske Noviny news outlet.
Furthermore, Fischer urged the Ministry of Culture to assess whether these churches operate legally and meet their registration conditions, proposing a shutdown of their operations if they are found non-compliant. This call to action comes despite a prior review by the ministry post the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, which did not reveal any violations justifying a withdrawal of their registrations.
He expressed concerns that the Czech branch of the ROC maintains direct connections with the Russian government and remarked on the increasing influence of individuals linked to Russian security services on the Czech Orthodox Church since 2014, despite its independent status.
In addition to these investigations, Fischer has appealed to the Czech Interior Ministry to direct police efforts towards detecting and probing any criminal activities linked to members of the two churches.
The move mirrors actions in Ukraine where lawmakers recently passed legislation banning the operation of the ROC and all associated religious entities. This legislation also challenges the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to sever its ties with Moscow, following its declaration of full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022; the church now has nine months to comply.
Russia has criticized this new Ukrainian legislation, calling it a "powerful blow against the whole of Orthodoxy."
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
