Experts points to discrimination against UOC in new draft law on chaplaincy

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered a new bill on chaplaincy. Photo: timeforaction.in.ua

According to religious experts, the draft Law "On Military Chaplaincy Service" No. 4626 of January 22, 2021, registered with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is discriminatory against military personnel who are believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.

The authors of the legislative initiative were the deputies of the “Holos”, “EU”, “Servant of the People” and other factions. Representatives of various denominations, except the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, were involved in the development of the bill. The expert community explained this by the confessional bias of the main initiator of the bill – people's deputy Roman Kostenko, “who stands on the position of not allowing the clergy of the UOC to the spiritual care of the military personnel of the military formations of Ukraine loyal to the UOC”.

An analysis of the new draft law showed that in addition to pointing out the poly-confessional nature of the state and “equality of representatives of all religions <...> in meeting their religious needs”, it contains a number of discriminatory provisions regarding UOC believers.

So, for example, Art. 6 "Interfaith Councils for Military Chaplaincy" notes that the Interfaith Council for Military Chaplaincy under the Ministries of Defence and Internal Affairs of Ukraine includes representatives from those churches and religious organizations whose clergy already hold the positions of military chaplains in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and State Border Service.

This provision, considering the prohibition of the clergy of the UOC to exercise pastoral care and, accordingly, their non-admission to the posts of military chaplains, automatically deprives the UOC of the right to participate in such inter-confessional councils. At the same time, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been members of the Council for Pastoral Care under the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine throughout the history of its existence.

Religious experts noted that this draft Law on Chaplaincy only exacerbates the problem of discriminatory deprivation of the believers of the UOC – military personnel of Ukraine’s military formations of the right to pastoral care from the clergy of their Church, and, consequently, ensuring the constitutional principle of equality of citizens regardless of religious beliefs.

“The adoption of this bill will further increase the tension in interfaith relations in society, lead to further incitement of interfaith confrontation and the formation of prejudice against UOC believers. These manifestations of confessional bias in relation to the UOC completely exclude the possibility of support for this legislative initiative on the part of the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” resumed the UOC Information and Education Department.

Earlier the head of the UOC Synodal Department for Interaction with the Armed Forces and other Military Formations of Ukraine, Metropolitan Augustin (Markevich) of Bila Tserkva and Boguslav said that violating the rights of UOC parishioners in the army is unreasonable from the point of view of statehood.

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