Draft Declaration Developed for Ukrainian Parliament on Basis of Document of Russian Orthodox Church

A Ukrainian deputy and co-head of the Interfactional Deputy Association in support of the canonical Orthodox Church, Vadym Kolesnichenko, submitted to the consideration of the Supreme Council of Ukraine a draft declaration “On dignity, freedom, human rights” on August 27. The declaration was developed to realize the “Basics of the Doctrine of the Orthodox Church on dignity, freedom, and human rights,” which was prepared by a work team led by the then Metroplitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the present head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).  

The document was passed at the Hierarchical Council of the ROC on June 24-29, 2008, in Moscow and was presented in the Ukrainian translation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on July 13, 2009, in the Kyiv Cave Monastery. According to imk.com.ua, the declaration proposes to establish main spheres of protection in human rights and in an individual's spiritual world in areas that are pressing today: “Protection of rights of people to free profession of faith, prayer and Divine Service, preservation of spiritual-cultural traditions, observation of religious principles in the private life and public activity, counteracting crimes motivated by national and religious hatred, protection of personality from willfulness of persons vested with authority and from violence and humiliation in the family and at work, etc.”

According to Kolesnichenko, the adoption of the draft declaration by the Supreme Council will have great consequences for the Ukrainian society as it will establish the foundations of dignity, freedom, and human rights, typical of this society and will create preconditions for the swift development and prosperity and civic peace and unity.