A parliamentary committee of the Duma, Russia’s national parliament, will examine a bill in early January 2025. If adopted, the government will put an end to religious activities in homes and buildings. Almost all Christian congregations are strongly opposed to it, reports an article in Evangelical Focus from December 17. Such a law would in effect make house churches illegal and would also mean that any Christian gathering, formal or informal, would be prohibited outside of buildings officially registered as places of worship by the state.
The Evangelical Alliance promotes a Church-State discussion
“Religious and public organizations play a key role in maintaining the moral and ethical values of society,” commented Vitaly Vlasenko, director of the Russian Evangelical Alliance. “Their activities must be supported by state agencies,” he said. He calls on the authorities to work with religious authorities to find “reasonable solutions protecting the rights of believers and taking into account the interests of all citizenss». The Baptist pastor also fears a hidden way of restricting religious freedom in Russia.
The initiative was tabled by the New People party, which supports the Russian government, and already seems to have the favor of the parliamentary majority supported by Vladimir Putin. However, the Russian Orthodox Church itself, which usually does not express criticism in similar cases, condemns the bill which, according to it, “needs to be revised”.
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