Churches send law remarks to PM

Traditional churches and religious communities have on Tuesday evening sent comments regarding the anti-discrimination law to Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic. B92 has learned they are asking that that articles 18 and 21 be erased, which guarantee change to faith or religious convictions, and declare sexual orientation a private matter. Churches send law remarks to PM A Beta news agency source in the Serbian government said earlier that changes to the proposed law could be effected only if they do not change its spirit and essence. Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljaic told Tanjug that the religious communities' comments will be carefully analyzed by representatives of the ministry, as well as experts who earlier worked on the law, in order to be addressed by the government at the session, which will be held on Friday, instead of Thursday. The remakrs on the law were sent by the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Serbia, the Evangelical Church, the Christian Reform Church, the Christian Evangelical Church and the Jewish Community of Serbia. Jovanovic: Adopt law as is Opposition LDP leader Cedomir Jovanovic says he expects the government to adopt the proposed anti-discrimination law in its original form. “I expect the government to thank the Church, to say that it has analyzed those amendments and shown more than ordinary respect for the Church in pulling the law at the last minute, but that on Friday the government must adopt the law in its original form as there is ethics of parliament exist,” he was quoted as saying on Wednesday. He added that that was the minimum which the government had to do, otherwise "the government would compromise Serbia more than the Church". According to the LDP leader, the events which have preceded the law’s adoption demonstrate the weaknesses and inabilities on the part of the government, "and that is destructive for the entire society, as a European society is made by adopting European values, not by adopting European passports". Jovanovic said that the Church is incapable of grasping its role in this time period, of grasping that it is not above the state, nor parallel with the state. “We need the Church, but in the way that it is, it is its own biggest enemy. It was once a school and a hospital and a place of worship, and today it is the antithesis of all those things,” he said.

Churches send law remarks to PM

A Beta news agency source in the Serbian government said earlier that changes to the proposed law could be effected only if they do not change its spirit and essence.

Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljaić told Tanjug that the religious communities' comments will be carefully analyzed by representatives of the ministry, as well as experts who earlier worked on the law, in order to be addressed by the government at the session, which will be held on Friday, instead of Thursday.

The remakrs on the law were sent by the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Serbia, the Evangelical Church, the Christian Reform Church, the Christian Evangelical Church and the Jewish Community of Serbia.

Jovanović: Adopt law as is

Opposition LDP leader Čedomir Jovanović says he expects the government to adopt the proposed anti-discrimination law in its original form.

“I expect the government to thank the Church, to say that it has analyzed those amendments and shown more than ordinary respect for the Church in pulling the law at the last minute, but that on Friday the government must adopt the law in its original form as there is ethics of parliament exist,” he was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

He added that that was the minimum which the government had to do, otherwise "the government would compromise Serbia more than the Church".

According to the LDP leader, the events which have preceded the law’s adoption demonstrate the weaknesses and inabilities on the part of the government, "and that is destructive for the entire society, as a European society is made by adopting European values, not by adopting European passports".

Jovanović said that the Church is incapable of grasping its role in this time period, of grasping that it is not above the state, nor parallel with the state.

“We need the Church, but in the way that it is, it is its own biggest enemy. It was once a school and a hospital and a place of worship, and today it is the antithesis of all those things,” he said.