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Ministry of Culture discussed the state of church-state relations in Ukraine

24.04.2017, 12:21

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine held a working meeting of leaders (representatives) of structural division son religious issues of Kyiv city and regional administrations, which discussed topical issues of the current state of church-state relations in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine held a working meeting of leaders (representatives) of structural division son religious issues of Kyiv city and regional administrations, which discussed topical issues of the current state of church-state relations in Ukraine.

The working meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Svetlana Fomenko, Deputy Head of Presidential Administration of Ukraine Rostislav Pavlenko, MPs of Ukraine, representatives of the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on human rights, leaders and senior officials dealing with the matters of religion.

Opening the conference, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Svetlana Fomenko has said that the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine is the national authority responsible for four different areas of public policy, one of which is state policy on religion and religious organizations.

“Today's meeting aims to review and discuss current and problematic issues of church-state relations in Ukraine. We must find more effective algorithms for establishing a situation of actual protection of human rights, including the right to freedom of conscience and religion,” Svetlana Fomenko said.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Rostislav Pavlenko, during his speech has noted that the Administration of President of Ukraine has recently received numerous signals on registration of regional administrations statutes, regulations are discordant with the norms of current legislation of Ukraine. This situation cannot be the normal, because in a democratic, secular state there is a rule of law, and not of religious canon law of certain religious organizations. Thus, the national legislation applies to all relations in Ukraine, particularly in the field of public relations and religious organizations.

MP of Ukraine Viktor Yelenskyy briefed the participants about the legislative initiatives in the relations between the state and religious organizations, and also drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian government is aware that a lot of the problems faced by Ukrainian society today have a religious aspect. Religion and religious organizations are being used by the aggressor state for bringing in Ukrainian society the destructive, particularly intolerant attitude towards people of other religions, conscious incitement of hatred and conflicts on religious grounds, particularly in inter-Orthodox environment.

Peculiarities of cooperation of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine with departments of regional administrations in religious matters were revealed in his speech by Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Andriy Yurash. He drew attention to the significant challenges that currently exist in the relations between public authorities and religious organizations, and noted that the basis to build a relationship between the state and religious institutions should be the provisions of Ukrainian legislation.

Experts of the Department for Religions and Nationalities Culture and deputy chairman of the Advisory Council on Freedom of Conscience and activities religious organizations, operating under the Ministry of culture of Ukraine, Professor Victor Bondarenko focused on practical moments of relationship public authorities and religious organizations regarding the expert-analytical work, statistical reporting, monitoring activities and registration statutes of religious organizations.

Leaders and officials of the Kyiv city and regional administrations in religious matters, in their final speeches emphasized the importance of this event to exchange information materials and establish a clear cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine as a specially authorized central executive body that implements the state policy in religion. This was reported by the Government Portal.

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