mo4ch:>Ukraine rushes through watered-down law on 'robbing church property' | Mo4ch News

Ukrainian lawmakers have passed a law on church property changing hands after last-minute changes to its most controversial parts, such as the arbitrary seizure of churches which has been made a bit more difficult.The legislation, passed by the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday, was filed in 2016 and was widely perceived to be part of Kiev's campaign to curb the influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the self-governing branch of the Russian Orthodox Church.The controversial bill dubbed 'robbing church property' sought to amend Ukraine's law on religious freedoms by establishing a procedure, under which a religious community could formally change its allegiance. It said 'self-identified' members, or a community, could hold a gathering and vote to switch from one religious organization to another by a simple majority. This would result, among other things, in the property belonging to the community, like a church building, changing hands.The Ukrainian Orthodo…