Chernivtsi RSA refuses to register minutes of meetings of UOC religious communities

The Chernivtsi Regional State Administration refuses to register the minutes of meetings of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which refuse to change their confessional affiliation. Such discriminatory actions are taking place against the backdrop of the so-called meetings of territorial communities “on transitions to the OCU,” whose documents are allowed for registration. This conclusion follows from the statement of the head of the regional Department of Culture Olena Bodnar, according to Suspilne.Chernivtsi.

“Our functions include registration of new religious organizations, change of canonical subordination and any changes related to the change of the head of a religious organization, registration address, etc. That is, what needs to be adjusted. As for the meeting of parishioners that they want to remain part of the UOC-MP, the regional administration is not authorized to make such decisions – their authority is to re-register,” – Bodnar said.

Earlier it was reported that the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration said that they had no mechanisms for monitoring the legitimacy of the so-called transitions of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the OCU. According to Olena Bodnar, head of the Department of Culture of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration, the RSA does not check whether the meeting actually took place and what decisions were made. The administration only needs the participation of the so-called head of the meeting, who must send the necessary package of documents to the RSA.