Latvian Orthodox Church draft law will restore sovereignty of church as it was during interwar period - Dombrava

RIGA - Historically, the Orthodox Church of Latvia has not been subject to Moscow - in the interwar period it was sovereign, therefore the amendments to the Law of the Orthodox Church of Latvia will restore the previous independence of the church, MP Janis Dombrava (National Alliance) said in a conversation with LETA.

The parliamentarian believes that the amendments to the Latvian Orthodox Church Law submitted by President Egils Levits are the right step, therefore the National Alliance will support the bill.

Asked if he does not see risks in the state determining what the church should obey, Dombrava answered in the negative. The MP understands that theoretically the church is separated from the state, but he believes that "actually the church operates within the state, so it is important to work together in synergy".

MP Juris Puce (For Development) also believes that the president's initiative comes "at the right time", moreover, he emphasized that the draft law has been discussed with the Latvian Orthodox Church and the National Security Council, and that all circumstances have been evaluated.

Similar to Dombrava, Puce also mentioned the independent status of the church in the interwar period. The draft law would more clearly fix the legal status of the church. "Churches have their own laws and they successively harmonize the statutes. Such an arrangement is established by law and has always existed," said the MP.