Ministry of Culture Sets Up Public Council to Improve Church-State Relations

On January 26, at Chaikovskyi’s National Musical Academy of Ukraine, the constituent assembly of the newly established Public Council of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine was held, the Institute for Religious Freedom reported.

The participants were addressed by Minister of Culture Mykhailo Kulyniak. He stated that the ministry is interested in cooperating with the widest possible range of institutions of the civil society in order to improve the state policy in the area of culture, religion, language policy, national minorities, etc.

The participants of the assembly approved the report of the initiative group on the preparation of the constituent assembly and passed a number of formal decisions. Then, the decision was passed to establish the Public Council of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine consisting of all the participants of the assembly, namely, 83 persons.

At the first session of the council, its leadership will be elected and regulations will be approved and its members will be distributed between special committees. A working group of 25 persons was set up to organize the session.

The public council will also include representatives of a number of churches and religious organizations of various confessions – Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians and Muslims and Jews. The Institute for Religious Freedom will be represented in the council by its Executive Director Maksym Vasin.

Let us remind the readers that in December 2010, Ukraine’s president liquidated the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions and transferred its functions to the Ministry of Culture. They include the powers in the area of ensuring the freedom of worship, church-state dialogue, religious expertise, registration of statutes of religious organizations, etc.