Verkhovna Rada Committee favors the bill aimed against the UOC

October 5, the Committee on Culture and Spirituality of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported bill №4511 "On special status of religious organizations, whose senior centers are located in the state recognized by the Verkhovna Rada as an aggressor country". The next stage is a vote. This was announced on his Facebook page by the head of the Legal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov.

"This legislative initiative is discriminatory; it seriously violates the constitutional principle of non-interference and the separation of the state from the Church, – emphasized Bakhov, – and restricts the right to freedom of ideology and religion."

"What kind of European values are we talking about?" – the representative of the UOC said with indignation.

In case the bill should be adopted, a "special status" will be introduced for the UOC. It will be obliged to enter into a special agreement with the state. For this reason, community statutes are to be re-registered. In addition, the appointment of bishops, abbots and governors will take place only in consultation with the Ministry of Culture.