Recall, earlier we reported that according to the provisions of the anti-church law No. 3894 (formerly No. 8371) “On the protection of the constitutional order in the sphere of activities of religious organizations”, adopted on August 20, 2024 in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, state authorities have the right to prematurely terminate lease agreements for land plots, religious buildings and other premises, which were concluded with religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
"Expropriation is inevitable": the Ministry of Culture initiated an audit of the property of the UOC
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada, and the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience discussed further steps to influence the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in connection with the entry into force of the scandalous Law No. 3894-IX “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations,” popularly nicknamed the “Law on the Prohibition of the UOC.” Following the meeting, it was decided to create a special commission and conduct an all-Ukrainian audit of the property of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which the state apparently plans to expropriate in the near future. This was reported by the publication “Left Bank”.
“The hearings were attended by more than 100 representatives of state authorities and experts, including MPs, the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelensky, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine and regional administrations and communities, religious scholars. The parliamentarians emphasized the importance of the adopted law for the state and stressed the need to engage the public and the media to support its implementation. Representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications have already begun inspecting the facilities used by religious organizations in order to return the property in case of violations,” — the statement reads.
In turn, the acting state secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, Olena Zemlianaya, said that the Cabinet of Ministers has prepared an order according to which the regional divisions of the Ministry of Culture will be able to carry out relevant work on the ground.
“We have prepared a corresponding instruction for the institutions subordinate to the ministry to conduct an audit of the property used by religious organizations. This is done so that after the law comes into force, its provisions can be applied to return such property. We are already receiving responses,” — Zemlyana said.
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