Church and state collide in Ukraine

The separation of church and state is sometimes not as simple as it sounds, particularly in a country as religious as Ukraine.

And despite calls from church leaders for congregations to stay out of upcoming elections, such a scenario seems unlikely.

Recent polls conducted by the Razumkov sociological center indicate about 71 percent of Ukrainians are religious, with almost 52 percent associated with the Orthodox Church and about 11 percent Greek Catholic. 

Both churches have recently issued statements forbidding clergy to campaign for any candidates.

The statement issued by the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church read, "The church must unite people with different political views, therefore political slogans must stay outside of the church walls." 

The Greek Catholic Church has taken a similar position. "A priest has no right to praise anyone but God," the church said in its own statement.