Chapter 4. Right of Religious Organisations and Citizens Bound with the Freedom of Religions

Article 23. Religious Rites and Ceremonies

Religious organisations are entitled to found and maintain the freely accessible places of divine services or religious meetings as well as the places revered in particular religion (places of pilgrimage).

The divine services, religious rites and ceremonies shall be held in praying houses and of the adjacent territory, at the pilgrimage places, the institutions of the religious organisations, the cemeteries and crematoria, in the apartments and houses of the citizens.

Servicemen shall solemnise religious rites and ceremonies at the time free of service.

The divine services and religious rites in clinics, hospitals, houses for aged and disabled persons, at the places of preliminary confinement and service of sentences shall be solemnised on the requests of the peoples being in such institutions. The administration of such institutions shall promote the solemnisation of the divine service, rite or ceremony.

In other cases the public divine services, religious rites and ceremonies shall be solemnised in the order established for holding assemblies, meetings, demonstrations and processions.

Religious organisations are entitled to appeal to the citizens in clinics, hospitals, houses for aged and disabled persons, institution of confinement as well as to the administration of such institutions with the offer the divine services. The persons in such institutions are entitled to have, receive, acquire and use the religious literature and cult articles unless such use cause damage to their health.

The disclosure of the secret of confession is not allowed.

The religious rites in relation to the persons less than 15 years old shall be solemnised with the consent of their parents or persons replacing them according to the Law.

 

Article 24. Religious Literature and Articles of Religious Purpose

The citizens and religious organisations are entitled to acquire and use the religious literature in the language selected by them as well as other articles and materials of religious purpose.

Religious organisations are entitled to manufacture, export, import and distribute the articles of religious purpose, religious literature and other information materials with the religious content in the order established by the legislation.

Religious organisations have the exclusive right of creation of enterprises for issuing the divine-service literature and manufacturing the articles of religious purpose.

Issue of periodical publications of religious character and other religious literature having no divine-service purpose shall be carried out in accordance with the legislation of the printing and mass communications.

 

Article 25. Charitable, Cultural and Educational Activities of Religious Organisations

Religious organisations are entitled to carry out charitable activities either independently or through religious fraternities, missionary societies (missions).

Boards and centres of religious organisations are entitled to create the mass media in the order and on the conditions established by the legislation in force.

 

Article 26. International Communications and Contacts of Believers and Religious Organisations

Citizens and religious organisations are entitled to establish and maintain on either group or individual basis the international communications and direct personal contacts including travels abroad for the purposes of pilgrimage, participation in religious events.

Religious organisations may send the citizens abroad for study at the ecclesiastical educational institutions and admit foreign citizens or persons without citizenship for these purposes.