On June 8, 2015 President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a law that regulates the activities of the clergy (chaplains) in the institutions of the State Penitentiary Service, as the Press Service of Head of the State reports. The Law # 419-VIII "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine about regulation of the clergy (chaplains) in bodies and institutions belonging to the jurisdiction of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine" adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 14 May 2015.
The law regulates the activities of chaplains in the penitentiary system, namely implementing pastoral care for prisoners and personnel of the State Penitentiary Service. Those chaplains should be authorized by their religious organizations. The law also establishes the inviolability and protection of the Confession of prisoners and persons taken into custody.
The Head Office of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine establishes Interfaith Advisory Body for coordination of pastoral care of prisoners. For organization of pastoral care for prisoners prison pastors should be trained. The possibility of visiting inmates in remand and convicts in prisons is not subject to restrictions. However, according to this law, pastoral care measures should not violate the statutory and other legal acts and the order of serving the sentences.
According to the law, the administration of penal institutions must ensure the confidentiality of meetings with priests and assists in organizing the pastoral care of prisoners.
The law creates conditions for pastoral care of the staff od the SPtS of Ukraine.
This law comes into force on the next day following the day of its publication. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine assigned within three months from the date of enactment of this Law to bring its regulations into conformity with this Law, and also ensures that ministries and other central executive authorities do the same.
The efforts of experts of the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care brought to approval in 2010 in Brazil of UN standards of religious freedom in prison. “Basic Principles: Religious in Prison”, which had been prepared for Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 12–19 April 2010) have allowed to formulate changes to countries' legislations. As one of results we celebrate recognition in Ukrainian Parliament prison chaplaincy with respect of those rules, elaborated according the most desirable standards.
The presence of chaplains in the field of non-freedom became a major factor of irreversible changes in the societies of Eastern Europe, freed from the influence of repressive atheistic imperial ideology. In development of the bill were actively involved representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and representatives of other Christian Churches in the group of experts.
The presence of chaplains in the field of non-freedom became a major factor of irreversible changes in the societies of Eastern Europe, freed from the influence of repressive atheistic imperial ideology. In development of the bill were actively involved representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and representatives of other Christian Churches in the group of experts.
Penitentiary Pastoral Care of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
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