Russia Sets Up Experts Council To Guide Courts On Religion Issues

Russia's Justice Ministry has set up an Experts Council to provide guidance on religious matters to Russia's courts and other governmental bodies. It includes representatives of Russia's four "traditional" religions-- Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. It also includes civil specialists on church and state issues, on new religious movements and on "pseudo-religious criminal and extremist structures." Georgian Daily reports:

The council was mandated by a federal law adopted in July 2008 and formed by a decree of the justice ministry in February. Its tasks include, first, it is to provide "a definition of the religious character of organizations on the basis of their constituent documents and reports about their faith and corresponding practice." Second, the council is responsible "checking and assessing the reliability of information contained in documents offered by any religious organization." And third, it is charged with evaluating whether what the religious group declares to the government that it believes and is doing in fact corresponds to reality.

The Council met for the first time yesterday and chose Aleksandr Dvorkin as its chair. Georgian Daily says this signals acceptance of Orthodox Patriarch Kirill's views that only the four traditional faiths should be supported. Dvorkin is known for his attacks on Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, Mormons and other non-traditional religious groups.