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
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.
During Ramadan, Patriarch Theodoros hosts Islamic iftar at his residence
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria hosted a meal for Muslim workers breaking their fast in the courtyard of the Patriarchate and thanked a sheikh for his “brotherhood.”
Lawsuit filed against Patriarch of Constantinople
A Turkish official has accused Patriarch Bartholomew and dozens of clergy of “illegal activity” and violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
OCU cleric buried with Church Slavonic funeral shroud
In the Ternopil Eparchy of the OCU, a cleric was buried under a funeral shroud bearing inscriptions in Church Slavonic.