The government of St. Petersburg approved a resolution on the transfer of state-owned property to religious organizations

On May 11, the government of St. Petersburg approved a resolution on the transfer of state-owned property to religious organizations. According to Valentina Matvienko, the law "should restore historical justice in relation to various confessions." The Governor ordered to prepare the necessary by-laws, since these issues are currently not regulated in St. Petersburg. The developers promise to take into account the confessional affiliation of the buildings and "the burden on those of them that are cultural monuments."

According to the city administration, there are 94 places of worship and 29 religious buildings on the balance sheet of the city. 19 of them are in federal ownership and "do not fall under the law," stressed in Smolny.

The bill has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly for discussion.

In September, the bill was adopted in the first reading by the St. Petersburg parliament. The document legalizes the procedure for the return to religious organizations of buildings of worship and religious purposes. The property should be transferred free of charge, but the costs of conducting a cadastral survey and paperwork for the object, apparently, will be borne by the clergy.

Only those organizations that already own them on the right of gratuitous use will be able to claim to receive objects in ownership.

Sources

• Valentina Matvienko proposed to adopt a "burdensome" law on the restitution of church property in St. Petersburg // Portal-Credo.ru. 2005. May 11.
• Churches of St. Petersburg will be donated to the Church free of charge // Week.ru. 2005.