Secretariat of Council of Churches to Prepare Address to Parliament
The Secretariat of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations discussed the significance and possible negative consequences of the recent adoption by the Parliament of alterations to the Law of Ukraine on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.
The meeting was held on November 15 under the chairmanship of Archbishop Grygoris Buniatian of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, reported the Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF).
Director of the Department on Matters of Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Volodymyr Lubchyk, who was invited to the meeting, told the audience about the results of the recent session of the Committee for Ensuring Realization of Rights of Religious Organizations of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. According to him, it is still not known if Ukraine’s President is going to veto the notorious Bill 10221 or sign it.
Let us remind the readers that members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, Council of Representatives of Christian Churches of Ukraine, human rights campaigners, public figures and scholars forwarded an open letter to President Yanukovych asking him to veto the alterations passed without discussion and contrary to promises given to the heads of the denominations.
According to the hierarchs, the veto is necessary because by this decision the parliamentary majority completely ignored the position of the religious community and the agreements reached between the Council of Churches and the author of the bill, Permanent Representative of the President, Yurii Miroshnychenko, and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
Therefore, the Secretariat of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has now resolved to prepare an address to the new composition of the Supreme Council of Ukraine.
