RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Kiev council's punishment of Orthodox church illegal

KLICHKO DID NOT RESCIND KIEV COUNCIL'S DECISION DEPRIVING UPTs OF PRIVILEGES TO LAND—EXPERT

UNIAN, 2 February 2015

 

The executive director of the Institute of Religious Liberty, Maksim Vasin, provides in his blog several clarifications regarding a statement by Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klichko, who noted that as Kiev city head he had already signed a document cancelling the decision of the Kiev council of 28 January depriving the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of tax privileges on immovable property.

 

Specifically, M. Vasin calls attention to the fact that the city head does not have the authority to rescind a decision of the city council as a representative body. "According to the regulations of the Kiev council, Mayor Klichko may only stay for a five-day period a decision adopted by the Kiev council and introduce it for a second review by the city council with explanatory comments. Therefore it is necessary to wait until the next session of the Kiev council," Vasin notes.

 

The expert also calls attention to the fact that "the Kiev council still may reject the mayor's comments."

 

"If the deputies confirm their previous decision by a 2/3 vote of its membership, it will take effect. Then it will be necessary to protest it in the prosecutor's office or in court. Actually, the Ukrainian law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations," in keeping with the constitution, guarantees: "All religions, confessions, and religious organizations are equal before the law. Creation of any privileges or restrictions of one religion, confession, or religious organization relative to others is not permitted" (article 5). In accordance with the law "On local administration in Ukraine," the city head is mandated to ensure observance of the constitution and laws of Ukraine," the attorney commented. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 February 2015)

 

UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ASSESSES KIEV COUNCIL'S DECISION DEPRIVING CHURCH OF PRIVILEGES ON USE OF LAND

UNIAN, 29 January 2015

 

"The decision is made odious by the circumstance that the Kiev deputies voted to deprive of privileges only the largest church in Ukraine and in the capital, while retaining them for representatives of other confessions, including destructive sects," the commentary on the official website of UPTs says.

 

"The initiators of such a resolution that is aimed at undermining interconfessional peace in Ukrainian society were deputies of the Svoboda and Strike Solidarity fractions Alexander Semenko and Alexander Kharchenko. This populist decision was adopted in order to deflect attention of the public from protests of representatives of education and of other defenseless strata of the population of the capital who were deprived of social privileges and who blocked traffic on Kreshchatik Street as a sign of protest," the UPTs thinks.

 

In particular it notes that "the authors of the resolution do not conceal their open aggression with regard to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The deputies explain their actions that ignore the rights of believers by means of irrational accusations against the UPTs."

 

"Despite the vigorous activity of UPTs clergy in aid for Ukrainian troops and refugees, as well as the liberation of Ukrainian fighters from captivity thanks to the dedicated work of priests of the canonical church, deputy Kharchenko declared that 'priests of UPTsMP in the ATO zone are conducting anti-Ukrainian propaganda and are refusing to provide church rituals for dead fighters,'" the UPTs calls attention on its official website.

 

"It is still unknown by what moral right deputies Semenchenko and Kharchenko should accuse the church, because the Kievan community was not able to witness the services of their elected representatives to the Ukrainian army," the UPTs concludes.

 

As UNIAN reported, the Kiev City Council yesterday adopted a decision by which it deprived the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of privileges for the use of parcels of land. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 February 2015)


Background article:
Kiev lawmakers punish Moscow-oriented church
January 28, 2015

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