KIEV, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday passed legislation which introduces legal procedures for changing the affiliation of religious communities, the parliament press service said.
The legislation was supported by 229 votes in favor, only three votes more than the minimum of 226 votes required, according to the statement on the parliament website.
In particular, the law envisages that the religious community may change its affiliation with the consent of at least two-thirds of its members.
The legislation bans the alienation of property of the community which changes its affiliation.
On Jan. 5, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, signed the document that officially recognizes the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The move followed last month's decision of the unification council of Ukrainian priests to create a new unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is independent from the Russian Orthodox Church.
