DESS discusses legislative review for EU compliance with Council of Churches

Yelensky at the Council of Churches. Photo: IRS

Viktor Yelensky, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), addressed a meeting of the Council of Churches, where he presented the current state of church-state relations, according to the IRS. In his report, he discussed the status of clergy during mobilization, the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards in the context of alternative service, and expressed gratitude to Christian churches for their support in resisting Russian aggression.

Yelensky also highlighted the implementation process of the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations' Activities," including the adoption of regulations governing this area.

During the meeting, plans were made to hold a Forum in the first half of 2025, involving church leaders, the Business Ombudsman, government representatives, and Ukrainian businesses. The Forum will focus on topics such as partnerships between the state and religious denominations and the promotion of joint initiatives in the field of education.

To achieve the outlined goals, representatives of religious organizations agreed to hold a series of meetings with executive authorities and members of the Ukrainian parliament. One of the key initiatives will involve the registration of a draft law on partnerships in the sphere of church-state relations.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Yelensky accused Orthodox Christians of "deafening silence" about the war in Ukraine.

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