Parliamentary Committee Refuses to Consider Church-State Relations

The parliamentary Committee on Culture and Spirituality changed its position and refused to support the proposal to hold a parliamentary hearing on the “State of Church-State Relations in Ukraine,” reported the Institute for Religious Freedom (IRS).

This is indicated by the decision of the committee in this regard recently posted by the parliamentary website.

At its session of December 7, the committee decided to recommend to the Supreme Council to reject Draft Resolution 9486 on holding the parliamentary hearing on March 14, 2012, which was submitted by the deputies of the Christian Democratic Union party.

According to the committee, it is not expedient to hold a parliamentary hearing on church-state relations in the last year of the activity of the present convocation of the Supreme Council.

The head of the subcommittee on religions of the committee, M. Kosiv, expressed concern that addresses of representatives of various churches with different positions on certain questions can harm interdenominational relations and peace in Ukraine as a result.