Ukraine's parliament passes law on subordination of religious communities

Some 229 people's deputies voted for approval of the respective bill, No. 4128-d, at a parliament meeting on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent said.

The law states that the decision to change subordination or to amend the statute should be taken at a general meeting of a religious community by at least two thirds of its composition.

The decision to change subordination and to make respective amendments or additions to the statute is certified by the signatures of members of a religious community. Then this decision is subject to registration in accordance with the law.

The law states that the change in the subordination of a religious community does not affect the change of ownership and other real rights of such religious communities, except as prescribed in Article 18 of this law. The law also establishes a moratorium on the alienation of property of the community if it decides to change subordination.

The part of the community that does not agree with the decision to change subordination has the right to form a new community and to conclude an agreement on the use of a religious building and property by its owner or user.

Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Culture and Spirituality and Head of the Subcommittee on State Policy in the Sphere of ​​Freedom of Sonscience and Religious Organizations Viktor Yelensky, when presenting the bill, specified that the document foresees the avoidance of duplicate registration.

"I want to emphasize that this is a law for all religious communities. It suggests that the misunderstandings that arise when a religious community changes its religious subordination will be significantly minimized," Yelensky said.

The law comes into force the day after it is published.

Bill No. 4128 was registered in the Verkhovna Rada in 2016.

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy at a meeting of the parliament's conciliation council on Tuesday, January 15, urged members of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality to prepare the revised draft law No.4128 for consideration on January 17.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed a tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on January 5. On January 6, the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul hosted a tomos handover ceremony and a divine liturgy concelebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius.