Pope Francis has condemned the Ukrainian government's decision to ban a Russia-linked branch of the country’s Orthodox Church.
Speaking on Sunday, the Pontiff asked Ukrainian officials not to "touch churches," just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the ban into law.
The law's main purpose is to allow the courts, prompted by the authorities, to ban churches affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church from operating.
"I', thinking of the law recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the liberty of those who pray," the Pope said.
"Therefore, let those who wish to pray pray in the Church they consider their own. Please do not abolish any Christian church, directly or indirectly: the churches are inviolable," he added.
Ukraine has been working to distance itself from the Russian Orthodox Church since 2014, a process that has accelerated since Russia's invasion in 2022. Zelensky approved the bill, criticised by Russia, on Kyiv's Independence Day from the Soviet Union.
Although the Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, Ukrainian officials frequently accuse its clerics of remaining loyal to Russia.
Pope Francis added he continues to follow "with sorrow" the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.