Lviv metropolitan calls bill on churches a time Bomb

5/2/2011

Giving churches the status of a legal person is a time bomb that may rip a relative inter-confessional peace established in Ukraine since 90s, says Lviv and Sokal Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) Dimitry, ZIK reports Feb. 3.

The church, as an institution, should not have the status of a legal person, Dimitry believes. Otherwise, the church will be ruled by the Ukrainian laws. The church can be then taken to court. If someone wants to file a legal suit against a priest, this person can also sue the church. Churches can then be denied their registration. Given law suits, church buildings can change hands, Dimitry argues.

The Lviv metropolitan reminded that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches spoke against the bill on churches, saying the time for the bill is inappropriate considering the current conditions in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) supported this statement.

At present, the AUCC has appealed to Pres Yanukovych to postpone the bill.

The metropolitan criticized Yanukovych who, unlike his predecessors, had failed to meet with the AUCC.

Meanwhile, Russia Patriarch Kiril insists that churches in Ukraine should be given the legal person status.

What would follow if the Russian advice is heeded, questions Dimitry. “The UOC(MP) will at once claim ownership of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine,” he said.

The changes proposed by the bill are premature. The church and the state should be on a par, and the church should not be treated as some state body, Dimitry noted.

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