RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Russian government faces need to help church deal with pandemic crisis

AUTHORITIES DECIDE TO EXEMPT RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FROM "ANTI-MONEY-LAUNDERING" LAW

Religiia i Pravo, 18 November 2020

 

The government of Russia introduced into the State Duma a draft law which will permit religious organizations and legal entities created by them to not give account of their possessions to the Rosfinmonitoring [Federal Financial Monitoring Service]. In particular, the document exempts them from the purview of the anti-money-laundering law. The changes that the authorities are proposing are connected with the "low risks of the legalization (laundering) of criminal incomes by such organizations."

 

"The draft law proposes to introduce changes that provide the freeing of religious organizations, and also legal entities whose only originators (participants) are religious organizations, from the obligation to collect, maintain, and report information about their beneficiary owners," the explanatory note in the draft law says.

 

Thus, religious structures and legal entities connected with them will be exempt from the requirement to collect, maintain, and report information about their beneficiary holders (recipients of earnings).

 

The government notes that very often the criteria of beneficiary holders "are inapplicable to religious organizations," and therefore they can be exempted from the action of the norms of the "anti-money-laundering" law.

 

The changes will be introduced into the law "On combating legalization (laundering) of income received criminally and financing terrorism."

 

In April, State Duma Speaker Viacheslav Volodin discussed with the then acting head of the Ministry of Energy, Alexander Novak, the possibility of introducing a favorable rate for gas and electricity for religious organizations. If that initiative were approved, such organizations would pay the rate in effect for the rest of the populace.

 

At the present time, religious organizations are not included in the privileged category of users, and therefore they pay market rates for electricity and gas. The issue was raised after religious leaders complained that because of the introduction of the regulations of heightened preparedness (and self-quarantine), the amount of donations had been severely decreased, and it is from these sources that utilities are paid.

 

On 21 April, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, sent to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin a request to postpone utilities payments for church institutions because of the decrease in contributions due to the coronavirus infection pandemic. The Russian Broadcast Channel, citing sources, wrote that the head of the government forwarded this letter to the pertinent ministries. The Ministry of Natural Resources urged the Russian Orthodox Church to deal with suppliers on its own and a representative of Gazprom told the news service that the company would consider the request from monasteries for postponement of payment for utilities only in a targeted manner.

 

Earlier the chairman of the synod's Department for Relations of Church with Society and News Media of the Moscow patriarchate, Vladimir Legoida, reported that the RPTs is in a severe condition because of the decrease in donations from parishioners, and he noted that many priests and their families live off of these means. At the same time, he declared, the dioceses will support parishes that are confronting great financial difficulties. (tr. by PDS, posted 18 November 2020)


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