Catholic leader criticizes anti-graft agency law amid Zelenskyy U-turn
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church criticized the passage of a bill effectively ending the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a U-turn on the legislation.
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in a July 27 video message that the law’s passage had “created dangerous social tensions, undermining public trust in the authorities and shaking the confidence of our international partners.”
Shevchuk made the comments after Ukraine’s parliament endorsed Bill 12414, which altered the status of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Protesters took to the streets of the capital, Kyiv, and other cities July 22, demanding that Zelenskyy veto the bill. The president signed the bill into law, arguing that the change would remove “Russian influence” from the nation’s anti-corruption infrastructure.
But amid intense domestic and international pressure, Zelenskyy submitted a new bill to parliament, which would restore the independence of the two anti-corruption bodies and also introduce safeguards against Russian interference. Lawmakers are due to discuss the new bill July 31.
Shevchuk’s intervention was notable because he has emerged as an important moral authority in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, which he responded to with defiant daily broadcasts encouraging Ukrainians to offer moral and spiritual resistance.
In his weekly address to Ukrainian Greek Catholics, Shevchuk described corruption as a crime against Ukraine.
“It is moral sabotage — against our state, our defense capabilities, and the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” he said, in a translation from Ukrainian provided by the Church-owned Zhyve TV.
“Unfortunately, this week our society was once again outraged by the adoption of Law 12414, which restricts or even eliminates the independence of institutions created to combat corruption.”
“This has stirred the conscience of us Christians and responsible citizens alike. It has created dangerous social tensions, undermining public trust in the authorities and shaking the confidence of our international partners.”
Shevchuk, who has led the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church since 2011, said a commitment to fighting corruption was part of Ukraine’s choice to align itself with Europe.
He noted that it was also a demand of the 107 people killed during the 2014 protests that led to the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych. Shevchuk described the protests as laying “the moral foundation for Ukraine’s modern development.”
He said: “On behalf of the Church, I urge both our society and our leaders to engage in dialogue, to listen to one another, and to cooperate.”
“We cannot allow internal strife to divide us. We must not give our enemies — especially those from within — any opportunity to weaken our national defense.”
He added: “May our Christian conscience — the voice of God within every human soul — guide us in purifying our society of corruption, restoring trust between the state and the people, and strengthening Ukraine’s ties with the international community.”
Shevchuk praised young people for being the first to protest against the passage of the law. But he urged all parties to the dispute to act prudently, “so that our righteous indignation does not inadvertently harm Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.”
Corruption is a longstanding problem in Ukraine, Europe’s second-largest country by geographical area after Russia.
Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries on its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, but noted some progress in combating corruption that year.
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