VRU Parliamentary Committee supports final version of Bill 8371
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Photo: wikipedia.org
Members of Parliament Volodymyr Vyatrovych and Iryna Herashchenko announced that the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had supported the final version of Bill 8371, which aims to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They shared this information on their social media.
Herashchenko mentioned that the next plenary week will begin with the consideration of this bill in the session hall.
Deputy Chairperson of the Committee, MP Yevheniya Kravchuk, stated in an interview with Interfax that the bill had been renamed.
"The Committee unanimously recommended adopting the bill in the second reading and in general. Amendments for the second reading were discussed and supported. One of the key changes is the new title of the bill – 'On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Activities of Religious Organizations,'" Kravchuk noted.
Kravchuk emphasized that the MPs also agreed on the timeline for the law's entry into force: it will come into effect 30 days after publication, with the exception of two points. The first point concerns the start of the preparation of normative acts by the Cabinet of Ministers, which will begin the day after publication.
As reported by the UOJ, President Zelensky urged the Rada to convene and resolve the issue of "spiritual independence".
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.