Verkhovna Rada's relevant committee recommends the adoption of Bill 8371
Meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the anti-church bill. Photo: VRU
The Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy recommends that the Verkhovna Rada adopt in its entirety the bill on the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine, No. 8371, reports the website of the Parliament of Ukraine.
It is reported that some provisions of the law were expanded for the second reading. In particular, the following wording was added to Article 3:
"Considering that the Russian Orthodox Church is an ideological extension of the regime of the aggressor state, an accomplice in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on behalf of the Russian Federation and the ideology of the 'Russian world,' the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine are prohibited," the document states.
Committee member MP Yevheniya Kravchuk stated that by practically quoting the PACE resolution in this paragraph, Ukrainian parliamentarians are thereby strengthening bill 8371 with international documents.
The committee recommends that the Verkhovna Rada adopt this bill in its entirety as law.
As the UOJ reported, the American lawyer for the UOC, Robert Amsterdam, called on the US authorities to influence their allies in Ukraine, who plan to adopt bill No. 8371 next week.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.