#5 - JRL 7032
Izvestia
Januay 24, 2003
ACCESS TO THE FLOCK
The Duma is developing a law on partnership between church and state
Author: Mikhail Vinogradov
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
A NEW BILL AIMS TO UNITE RUSSIA'S MAJOR RELIGIOUS FAITHS WITH THE
WORLD OF STATE OFFICIALS, ON THE BASIS OF SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP. SOME
DUMA LOBBYISTS ARE PROPOSING THAT THE CLERGY SHOULD TAKE ON PART OF
THE STATE'S SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, IN EXCHANGE FOR OFFICAL STATUS AND STATE
FUNDING.
A meeting was held in a Duma conference hall yesterday to discuss
a new bill aimed at uniting Russia's major religious faiths with the
world of state officials, on the basis of social partnership. Some
Duma lobbyists are proposing that the clergy should take on part of
the state's social functions, in exchange for offical status and state
funding.
Over the past decade, lobbying for the interests of religious
groups has been advantageous; this tried and tested tactic will be
useful for the parliamentary elections in December. Thus, certain Duma
members and factions are once again offering their services to the
clergy (or, to be more precise, to the organizationally and
financially powerful structures of the traditional faiths: the Russian
Orthodox Church, Islamic and Buddhist organizations, and the rabbis).
Some new players are being noticed on this turf, such as the People's
Party led by Gennady Raikov, now calling for the creation of a Duma
member alliance in support of "traditional spiritual and moral values
in Russia". However, a more experienced lobbyist - Alexander Chuyev of
the National Great State Party - has followed a familiar path: taking
a forgotten bill back down off the shelf and proposing it to the
religious organizations. In return, he is clearly hoping to attract
votes from clergy and church-goers to his low-budget party.
The bill is described in impressive terms on the Duma's agenda: a
law on social partnership between the state and religious
organizations. Its key figures are state officials from the executive
branch, and clergy - from only three religions so far, but there are
plans to add Judaism later. The central idea is that the state would
hand over part of its social functions to religious organizations: for
example, working with children's homes, orphanages, homes for the
elderly, and facilities for the handicapped. The bill's authors also
propose that religious organizations should be closely involved in the
following issues: preventing drug abuse (the Russian Orthodox Church,
for example, already has substantial experience here); countering
vagrancy and idleness; monitoring foreign adoptions of Russian
children (which run into tens of thousands); providing free meals for
the poor at churches and mosques; and other urgently-needed social
services.
According to the bill, the state would fund the social programs
of religious organizations, give them free access to minister to their
flock in the military and in the prison system, and allow clergy to
teach in schools. The state would also protect foreign assets of
religious organizations and make efforts to restore their lost
property; while in Russia (according to the bill's authors) assets
confiscated following 1917 would be returned. Alexander Chuyev has
been raising this issue for some time (out of concern for the
interests of the Russian Orthodox Church, as he believes).
We have covered the "restitution problem" before; even an attempt
to restore property to the church is likely to lead to scandal and
conflict, especialy concerning land. It appears that the clergy are
also aware of this; the faces of those who listened to Chuyev's
impassioned speech yesterday showed open doubt and misgivings.
(Translated by P. Pikhnovsky)
Next Article