Ukraine Restricts Religious Communities to Scheduled Church Access

KYIV — As reported by UOJ-Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted new rules restricting religious organizations’ access to places of worship, replacing permanent use agreements with scheduled access during designated hours.

Under the new procedure, religious communities may use a church for services only at times established in advance, while state institutions retain full control over the premises. The changes were prepared by the Ministry of Culture and are intended to govern religious organizations’ use of certain state-owned cultural and heritage properties.

Officials said the new restrictions were necessary because religious organizations do not always have sufficient resources to maintain historic sites, carry out restoration work, or protect buildings from deterioration and destruction. However, the wording of the new rules is broad, applying to sites requiring a “special usage regime” or those used jointly by religious communities and cultural institutions.

Critics argue that the changes could affect a wide range of churches and substantially limit communities’ ability to manage the properties in which they worship. The new system also comes amid disputes over church property in Ukraine, with critics contending that the arrangement could particularly benefit the OCU, despite questions about its ability to maintain or regularly fill additional church buildings.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the UOC challenged the legality of the State Service.