Novinsky initiates a bill to protect the Church property

The MP memeber proposes to restrict the authorities to dispose of state and communal property transferred to religious organizations for temporary use, reports the Institute of Religious Freedom.

This is stated in bill № 6200, registered in the Verkhovna Rada on March 16.

The author of the initiative, Vadim Novinsky, proposes the following amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations".

In the absence of mutual consent of conflicting religious communities, the state is deprived of the right to determine the procedure for using the religious building and property by concluding a separate agreement with each community.

Th bill provides for early termination of the right to use religious buildings, land plots and other property transferred to religious organizations with the consent of religious organizations or on the basis of a relevant court decision.

It is prohibited to transfer the property of religious organizations to third parties without the consent of religious organizations or a relevant court decision, to deprive the right to use property on the basis of their belonging to the denomination, to seize the property of religious organizations for the needs of the state.

In February 2014, Deputy Novinsky already introduced a similar draft law to the Parliament amid speculation of an intention to seize the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra premises, but the initiative proposed was not put to the vote in the Verkhovna Rada of the previous convocation.