Rada rejects a bill on reading “Our Father” before sessions start

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada removed draft law No. 6722 on reading the Lord's prayer in Parliament immediately after the opening of plenary sessions. This is reported by 112.ua.

The Parliament approved the agenda for the ninth session, however, the bill on reading the prayer "Our Father" was on the list of documents that have lost relevance or are proposed for rejection for other reasons.

As the newspaper reports, the Main Scientific and Expert Administration drew attention to signs of unconstitutionality of this bill because Ukraine is a secular state whereas the reading of the Lord's prayer is often an element of the Christian religious rite. The Constitution guarantees that citizens have equal rights and freedoms and are equal before the law, therefore there can be no privileges or restrictions on the grounds of religious beliefs.

The bill with the proposal to read "Our Father" immediately after the opening of the plenary sessions was registered in July 2017. Its authors were Oksana Bilozir, Pavel Ungurian, Oleg Bereziuk and six other MPs.

Read also

Sand for construction of Yermak’s residence brought from cemetery, MP says

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that sand illegally removed from a cemetery in Ukrainka was used in the construction of the elite Dynasty cooperative in Kozyn.

Italian court recognizes family with three parents as legal

In Bari, the appellate court ordered authorities to register an adoption according to which a child is listed as having two "fathers" and one mother.

Archaeologists discover biblical Bethsaida on shore of Sea of Galilee

Researchers have discovered a first-century residential house beneath the apse of a Byzantine church and a mosaic inscription mentioning the Apostle Peter.

Israeli soldiers receive jail terms for mocking statue of the Virgin Mary

Those involved in the act of sacrilege in the village of Debel will spend several weeks behind bars for desecrating a statue of the Mother of God.

Serbian Church officially receives back land of 15th-century monastery

An agreement was signed in Belgrade transferring the territory of the ancient Vojlovica Monastery to the Banat Eparchy.

Pat Daniel comments on conflict between Phanar bishop and community in Turkey

The Bulgarian Primate believes that the hierarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate should not have forced the Bulgarian community in Edirne to serve in Greek.