AUCCIRO initiates a meeting with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada to resume dialogue and establish steady interaction between the parliament and the religious community.
In a letter to Dmytro Razumkov, the Council of Churches lists the most resonant legislative initiatives that need proper public discussion, according to the Institute for Religious Freedom.
"Uunfortunately, the remarks on the draft Law on Media sent by the Council of Churches to the relevant Committee were ignored, and the representatives we delegated were not invited to participate in the relevant working group," the clergy said.
At the same time, the AUCCIRO notes that some committees are reluctant to invite members of the public to meetings, despite the resonance and public interest in certain bills. A similar situation occurred with other legislative initiatives, which were considered by the Verkhovna Rada without taking the comments of the religious community into account.
Bills № 3316, № 3316-2 and № 3316-3 on amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which declare the intention to fight hate crimes on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, also have a particular resonance in society. However, the AUCCIRO emphasizes that this intention conceals the promotion of gender ideology in the Ukrainian legislation, which carries risks of restricting the constitutional right of citizens to freedom of thought and expression.
"The lack of dialogue and interaction between the Verkhovna Rada and the religious community is detrimental to the quality of laws that are considered without proper public discussion. This situation undermines the foundations of the partnership between the state and religious organizations formed over the past 25 years," the clergy said.
Also, they emphasize that ignoring the remarks of Ukrainian citizens of different denominations during the legislative process significantly increases the risk of public protests.
Systematic and constructive dialogue and constant interaction between the Verkhovna Rada and the religious community over the past years has proved its effectiveness in addressing complex societal challenges. Therefore, AUCCIRO believes that this positive experience should be applied and developed.