Russian Christian leaders concerned about bill banning house churches
Russian Christian leaders expressed concern over a bill banning house church meetings.
The Russian Federal Assembly recently passed a bill aimed at banning house church meetings, which could severely impact the activities of house churches and prayer meetings in homes, a bill that has raised concerns among Russian Christian leaders.
Vitaly Volosenko, head of the Russian Evangelical Union (REA) in Moscow, told the evangelical news agency IDEA: “This measure could be perceived as a hidden restriction on religious freedom for Russian Protestants. I hope such a bill will not be passed. Russia has previously made attempts to limit the number of Protestant places of worship, including an attempt to ban religious services in private homes in November 2019, but fortunately, thanks to the efforts of lawyers and human rights activists led by Vladimir Ryakhovsky, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation had previously declared such plans unconstitutional.”
Igoumenia Kseniacherenga, head of the legal department of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Moscow Patriarchate, also expressed concern about the bill's impact on holding prayer and intercession ceremonies for the sick at home, warning against the bill, stating: "This ban could also lead to the closure of Orthodox home churches."
The representatives who introduced the bill to the federal government have complained about the many reactions to the bill, saying: "This bill is designed to protect residents of apartment complexes from harassment and prevent potential conflicts. The authors of the bill also raised concerns about safety and fire issues in residential buildings."
However, Vladimir Provorov, bishop of the Lutheran Church of Russia, stressed that existing laws in Russia are sufficient to deal with such problems without violating religious rights.
