MINSK, 18 January (BelTA) – Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova thanked the Belarusian Orthodox Church for their active involvement in the discussion of the Constitution draft as she attended a dialogue platform hosted by the Minsk Diocesan Administration of the Belarusian Orthodox Church on 17 January to discuss the proposed amendments and additions to the Constitution, BelTA has learned.
“The Belarusian Orthodox Church is making a meaningful contribution to the public debate on the Constitution draft. I appreciate the clergy's active participation in the work. You communicate a lot with people, your knowledge and understanding of what is happening in the society is valuable. In general, I would like to thank the Orthodox Church for the joint effort to address the problems of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and foul language. The situation with these social ills is not critical in the country, but they are a major source of concern for the public. We receive positive feedback at dialogue platforms and hotlines for our efforts in these areas,” Natalya Kochanova said.
According to her, the Council of the Republic has received more than 5,000 proposals from the public and initiative groups. “It is not easy to accommodate the interests of everyone, but the Constitution should include all the points that are essential to everyone,” she stressed.
According to Chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, priest Igor Vasko, the clergy came up with about 10 proposals to be included in the Constitution. “All of them were based on requests and wishes of the public. The protection of family values is a keynote; other important proposals have to do with culture and centuries-old traditions, historical continuity,” Igor Vasko said.
The clergy also suggested that the future Constitution should include an article about the protection of human life from the moment of conception, and a clause that says that the Belarusian people are aware of their responsibility to God, as well as a clause about protection from the destructive impact of information technology.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various dioceses, synodal departments and commissions of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. Natalya Kochanova told the audience in detail about the draft amendments and additions to the Constitution, and also listened to the proposals of the Belarusian Orthodox Church representatives and recorded them for further discussion in the working group and with the Constitutional Commission.
