Minister on transfer of property into Church`s ownership.

MOSCOW, January 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Minister of Culture Alexander
Avdeyev said the upcoming transfer of facilities into the ownership of
religious organizations should not be regarded as restitution (return of
property illegally taken by the state to the original owners).
"Our law does not envision restitution," Adveyev told Echo Moscow
radio on Thursday.
"Some post-totalitarian regime countries resorted to restitution.
Instead of stability, they generated instability, which went as far as
bloodshed. It's too late (for restitution); we've lived under other
property laws for almost a century. Restitution would be unproductive in
the present conditions," he noted.
Even Russian emigres realize it. "The highly patriotic position of
Russian expatriates shows today that no broad flow should be expected.
People have already got used to another, civilized use of the property
which had been private before the Bolshevik Revolution," the minister went
on to say.
The draft bill on the transfer of state or municipal property into the
ownership of religious organization will be prepared and submitted for
consideration by the State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) in
the first half of 2010.
"I believe we'll close the chapter on the matter in the first half,"
Avdeyev said.
He explained that the new legislation envisions the transfer of both
real estate into the ownership of the Church (churches, quarters
accommodating museums and archives) and chattels (icons and church
utensils).
Aside from that, the bill provides for renovation of buildings that
are property of the Church with the status of cultural facilities,
according to the minister.
He underlined that the new legislation applies not only to "Orthodox
temples, but also to temples of all the traditional religions in Russia."
-0-myz