In Crimea, Catholics excluded from religious council

October 31, 2016

Authorities in Crimea have decided to exclude Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholics from a state religious council, the AsiaNews service reports.

Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, has issued new regulations for religious organizations, closely resembling Russian policies. The regulations allow for state recognition of “traditional” religions, including Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. However, the policy has been clarified to exclude Ukrainian Catholics. Also excluded are Ukrainian Orthodox churches that are not recognized by the Moscow patriarchate.

 

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Further information:

• Kiev Orthodox and Greek-Catholics excluded from the Inter-religious Council of Crimea (AsiaNews)