The Russian Orthodox Church looks set to...
and cathedrals, the paper said. The law would also affect more than 4,000 mosques and some 70 synagogues.Putin also said the culture ministry had drafted a bill to allocate state funds to help parishes and monasteries maintain or rebuild derelict churches, the paper said.
The draft law also envisions the return of church archives and relics, which is expected to end disputes with museums that are often reluctant to part with their collections.
"The law would affect the rights of museums, which could lose many of its exhibits if it is passed," Roman Lunkin, head of the Religion and Law Institute think tank, told Kommersant.
The Orthodox Church, however, will not get back churches now on the UNESCO world heritage list, including St. Basil"s Cathedral on Red Square and the churches within the Kremlin walls, the paper said.
Religious organizations, Christian churches, mosques and synagogues, currently have no ownership rights on their property,
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