Commentary on the draft Law on Belief and Religion

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of October 11, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee held a conference to provide social criticism on the draft Law on Belief and Religion.

Attending the conference were representatives of the Provincial Police; Provincial Religious Committee; Nghe An Provincial Bar Association; dignitaries, officials, religious practitioners and some members of the Provincial Fatherland Front's Review Council.

Conference scene

The provincial Fatherland Front and religious organizations signed a coordination program to participate in environmental protection.

The draft Law on Belief and Religion consists of 9 chapters and 68 articles, regulating the right to freedom of belief and religion; belief and religious activities; religious organizations; rights and obligations of organizations and individuals related to belief and religious activities. The development of this Law aims to institutionalize the Party's viewpoints and guidelines on belief and religious work; in accordance with the spirit of the 2013 Constitution; and demonstrating the development in State management of belief and religion.

Participating in the debate on the draft, the opinions expressed by the representatives at the conference highly agreed with the draft with many provisions that are clearer and more open than the 2004 Ordinance on Belief and Religion; consistent with the current situation of religious activities. However, the draft, in some provisions, is not yet complete and needs to be supplemented to ensure more rigor and comprehensiveness.

Mr. Vo Van Tien - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee proposed to supplement regulations on clan beliefs.

The State guarantees freedom of belief and religion.

According to Mr. Ho Ba Vo - Vice President of the Lawyers Association, the draft only states the principles of religious activities, so it is necessary to add regulations on the principles of religious activities. Also adding to the draft, Venerable Thich Minh Hai - Abbot of An Thai Pagoda, Quynh Long Commune, Quynh Luu District, said: Article 35, Clause 3, stipulates that in case a dignitary, official, or practitioner violates one of the provisions in Article 5 of this Law, the specialized agency for beliefs and religions at the provincial level of the departure shall have a document requesting the religious organization or affiliated religious organization to stop the transfer. However, in reality, the departure place does not detect violations but the destination place detects violations, so it is necessary to add the destination place.

Mr. Ho Ba Vo gave his opinion at the conference.

Mr. Luu Cong Vinh - Head of the Provincial Religious Affairs Committee, said that the new draft law only mentions religious establishments including places of worship and practice of religious organizations, so it is necessary to add administrative buildings and training facilities. It is necessary to add regulations on the recognition and establishment of new religious establishments.

Regarding religious activities, Mr. Vo Van Tien - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front and Lawyer Nguyen Trong Diep - Nghe An Provincial Bar Association, expressed their opinions: In religious activities, clans are the largest and most popular in current social life. However, the draft does not apply to clans, because it is necessary to supplement regulations on responsibilities for clan religious activities.

Priest Nguyen Dang Dien - Chairman of the Provincial Catholic Solidarity Committee gave his opinion at the conference.

At the conference, many delegates also contributed their opinions to the provisions on rights, obligations, and responsibilities in religious activities; prohibited acts; registration of religious activities, collective beliefs, registration of religious activities; state management and handling of violations in the field of religious beliefs. At the same time, they contributed their opinions on some words and spelling in the draft, ensuring more rigor and clarity.

Minh Chi