The Ukrainian parliament had by a large majority, voted on Tuesday to ban the Russian-linked Orthodox Church.
According to the lawmakers statement, the controversial bill had gotten a broad majority in the parliament, or Rada, in Kiev at the second reading.
322 lawmakers had been present but 265 had voted in favour of the law.
In Ukraine’s scattered religious landscape, around 10,000 parishes have been under the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Moscow Patriarchate’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had justified the ban, with the Ukrainian branch of the Church being accused of validating crimes against its own people.
Officially, the law is geared to protect national security and religious freedom therefore, President Volodymyr Zelensky must sign the bill for it to become law.
If signed, the law would take effect in 30 days after its publication, allowing individual parishes nine months to sever ties with Moscow, according to a statement by the Ukrainian lawmaker, Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
Meanwhile, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova had severely condemned the ban.
