RPTs IN UKRAINE: VERKHOVNA RADA ADOPTS BILL ON NAME OF MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the corresponding draft law No. 5309, for which 240 people's deputies voted. Deputies from the "Opposition Bloc" voted against.
Parliament Speaker Andrei Paruby noted that the draft law was adopted at the personal request of Honorary Patriarch Filaret.
The document, authored by people's deputy Alexander Brigints and a number of deputies, proposes the introduction of a change in the relevant law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations" so that a religious organization that has a center located in an aggressor country must indicate in its name the full charter name of its religious center. In addition, such a religious organization is forbidden to conduct chaplaincy ministry in the military organizations of Ukraine.
Many analysts noted that the draft law will affect not only the UPTsMP but also other Orthodox and Old Believer churches that are subordinate to Russian religious centers. A year ago the UPTsMP tried, at a Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (RPTs), to shield itself from the effect of this rule by writing into the charter that the administrative center of the UPTsMP is located in the city of Kiev.
The deputy head of the Committee on Affairs of Culture and Spirituality, the religious studies scholar and people's deputy Viktor Elensky, during a speech noted that the committee proposes to adopt the law as a whole.
We recall that today a rally of UPTsMP faithful was held against the aforesaid documents. This now is not the first time when representatives of this church have opposed parliamentary innovations. Previously RISU has written about protest demonstrations of believers of the UPTsMP against "church draft laws." (tr. by PDS, posted 20 December 2018)
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