Poltava RSA publishes guidance on how to transfer to OCU

Poltava Regional State Administration

The Department for Information Activities and Public Communication of the Poltava Regional State Administration states that the algorithm for the transition of religious communities from one Church to another is envisaged by the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”.

The document clarifies: the decision to transfer a religious community to the jurisdiction of another church should be made at a meeting of the religious community. For a community to move to another jurisdiction, two-thirds of those present must support the decision. The decision to change the affiliation must be signed by all members of the religious community.

The algorithm envisages that the building of the temple is left to the community, which has changed its subordination. A part of a community that does not agree with the decision to change its subordination has the right to form a new religious community and enter into an agreement on the procedure for using the cult building and property with their owner. Religious communities must align their statutes with the new law during the year.

“A religious organization that is a part of the religious organization with the centre in the state that carried out military aggression against Ukraine and temporarily occupied its territory is obliged to reflect in the title that it belongs to such a religious organization outside the country. Such a religious organization in Ukraine will be obliged in its statutory name to fully indicate the name of the organization which it is a part of, and whose centre is located outside Ukraine, with a valid addition of the words ‘in Ukraine’,” the officials write.

Religious organizations should make such changes to their statutes within four months, communities – within nine months.

As reported by the UOJ, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission monitors the religious situation in Ukraine. In this regard, meetings in Zaporozhye, Odessa, Pochaev, and Vinnitsa have already been held.

Also, the NGO Public Advocacy has published an instructive video on how to protect your church from seizure.

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