ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH REQUIRED TO BEGIN REPEAT REGISTRATION OF ITS PARISHES IN CRIMEA
Before March, all parishes in the peninsula annexed by Russia must go through registration in accordance with Russian legislation. This means that there must be ten persons with Russian passports as representatives of each of the parishes. This was reported by the Ukrainian service of Polish radio.
"Today we sent the necessary documents to Moscow and we are awaiting a reply," Bishop Yatsek Pil of the Odessa-Simferopol diocese said.
After an affirmative answer from Russia, according to the adopted model, the registration of parishes will begin. This should occur in several days, the Catholic bishop thinks. The authorities also have given assurances that there will be no problems with obtaining visas for Polish priests who have to work in the peninsula.
Earlier, after the annexation, the first batch of documents for registration was rejected. At that time, the reason was that some of the documents were written in Ukrainian. It was also unknown whether clergy from Poland would be able to get visas. The Vatican does not recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia. However, the Apostolic Capital is concerned for believers. In March, the organizations of the Catholic church on the peninsula will be changed. It will not be a diocese but a "pastoral district," which will be related to the episcopate of Ukraine. Bishop Yatsek Pil will represent it before the occupying authority of Crimea.
The big problem for priests working on the peninsula is that the political situation has led to a split in Ukrainian-Russian families. There is a majority of such. Priests are trying to help such families spiritually.
There are now seven Catholic parishes in
Crimea. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 January 2015)
CATHOLIC CONVENT IN CRIMEA WILL BE CLOSED SINCE NUNS' RESIDENCE PERMIT WAS NOT EXTENDED
Portal-credo.ru, 21 January 2015
A Catholic convent in Simferopol in Crimea will be closed after the three sisters who are living in it did not receive a renewal of their residency permit, CWN reports, citing Forum 18.
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary have worked with the poor in Simferopol for 18 years. However, the sisters living in the convent have Polish or Ukrainian citizenship, and after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the authorities have refused to renew their permit for residence.
Acting in accordance with Russian laws, Crimean bureaucrats are now demanding that religious societies be formally registered by the state in order to have the right to invite foreign citizens for work. Not one religious organization of Crimea has received state registration. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 January 2015)
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