During the last years there were qualitative changes in activity of religious organizations. Churches revive traditional forms of activity in a society, and not just satisfy religious requirements of believers. Social activity traditional for Churches, presence at army, initiatives in the education sphere – all these directions of activity of churches endure the period of "qualitative development".
The chairman of the State Committee of Ukraine on affairs of nationalities and religions Jury Reshetnikov declared about it during the press conference in UKRINFORM on the topic "Condition and tendencies is state-confessional relations in Ukraine in 2009", informs RISU.
According to the chairman of the State Commitee on affairs of religions in the last two days it was possible to solve a number of complicated questions of the state-confessional relations. In particular he noticed that since January, 2009 the right of Churches and religious organizations to free constant using of the ground areas from the lands of the state and municipal property is renewed. Also religious organizations got possibility to rent the land areas and objects of the state and municipal property without application of competitive procedures which put them until now on one level with commercial structures. The question concerning long stay in Ukraine of priests-foreigners who carry out religious activity under the invitation of the Ukrainian faiths is dealt too, informs the Institute of Religious Freedom.
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| The chairman of the State Committee of Ukraine on affairs of nationalities and religions Yury Reshetnikov |
Yury Reshetnikov also reminded that in September, 2009, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine accepted the decision about the establishment for Churches and religious organizations of the price for natural gas on the level of fares destined for the population. Later the Government developed and asserted the corresponding mechanism of maintenance of requirements of the religious organizations in natural gas that allowed to heat cult constructions and other social establishments at Churches under reasonable prices.
The chairman of the Committee noticed that nowadats the Government develops partner model of relations between the state and the Church. In this context Yury Reshetnikov emphasized work efficiency of advisory bodies on cooperation with Churches and religious organizations which throughout 2009 fruitfully functioned at the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health Protection and the National Commission of Experts on Protection of Public Morals. At the formation stage there are social councils at other central enforcement authorities.
In his opinion, special value for the decision of the complicated questions of state-confessional relations has activity of the Commission on maintenance of realization of rights of the religious organizations, created at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Work of this body in 2009 under the direction of the Vice-Prime minister Ivan Vasyunik showed the potential for acceptance of the important political decisions.
In his turn the chairman of the board of the social organization "The Institute of religious freedom" Alexander Zayets that from the point of view of the public, 2009 became one of the most productive years in the modern history of Ukraine in respect of intensity and efficiency of the state-confessional dialogue in Ukraine.
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| The chairman of the board of the social organization "The Institute of religious freedom" Alexander Zayets |
"Within the last year took place the variety of meetings between representatives of the power and faiths, including ones at the highest level, by which results was accepted a number of decisions and statutory acts directed at the decision of the most actual problem questions of activity of religious organizations", Alexander Zayets emphasized.
According to supervision of the Institute of Religious Freedom, the basic subject of the state-church dialogue in 2009 from the religious side was the All-Ukraine Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (ACCaRO). From the side of the power state structures the Government was the basic subject of the dialogue.
Alexander Zayets also noticed that the last year was continued meaningful dialogue between the ACCaRO and the Government which started in April, 2008. The meeting from July, 13th, 2009, of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Timoshenko with heads of faiths – members of the ACCaRO, by which results the separate governmental commission was given, became a key component of this dialogue, in his opinion.
Alexander Zayets noticed that within 2009 also was continued gradual development of the dialogue between representatives of local authorities and religious organizations.
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| People's Deputy of Ukraine Pavel Unguryan |
Representing results of legislative work, the People's Deputy of Ukraine Pavel Unguryan emphasized that in order to protect public morals in 2009 the Government initiates and accepts a number of the important bills for the nation. He mentioned the decision of the Parliament on the interdiction of gaming in Ukraine, the introducing of the bill of counteraction to distribution of children's pornography, acceptance of some decisions with a view of struggle against alcoholism and smoking – increase of rates of the duty on tobacco and alcoholic products and prolongation of the moratorium on direct advertising of alcohol and tobacco.
Pavel Unguryan noticed that henceforth the religious organisations acquired the right to participate in social work in the sphere of preventive maintenance of HIV/AIDS that is provided by the Law of Ukraine "About acceptance of the Nation-wide program of preventive maintenance of HIV-infection, treatment, care and support of HIV-infected and ill of AIDS for 2009-2013" in which besides the other things is presupposed attraction of the religious organizations to performance of programs of preventive maintenance of HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The member of the Parliament noticed that in 2009 in the Supreme Council of Ukraine was created the Interfractional deputy group "For spirituality, morals and health of Ukraine", which united 68 deputies from all fractions of the Parliament. He believes that this will allow to carry out the legislative work in the given sphere more effectively.
In the end of the press conference the chairman of the State Committee on Affairs of Religions Yury Reshetnikov expressed hope that despite of everything in the new 2010 year the dynamics of the state-confessional dialogue and cooperation of public authorities with Churches and religious organizations will only increase.
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