A petition has been launched in Ukraine calling for Bible reading to be introduced in preschools and schools

An online petition has been posted on the official website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, proposing to make the study of the Orthodox Bible mandatory in the educational system, starting at age three. The author of the initiative, Denis Brynza, insists on the need to preserve religious heritage as the foundation for the spiritual and moral education of young people.

According to the text of the petition, regular reading of the sacred text in preschools and schools should help foster discipline and decency, as well as significantly reduce levels of corruption and crime in society. The initiator emphasizes the historical significance of Orthodoxy for the Ukrainian people, dating back to 988, and calls the transmission of this heritage a direct responsibility of society.

As part of the proposed initiative, the author of the petition calls on the authorities to develop an appropriate curriculum that would require students to read the Bible in its entirety each year. The document also specifically notes the right of parents to opt their children out of these classes. For the initiative to be officially considered by the government, it must garner at least 25,000 votes from the country’s citizens.