The legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg withdrew from the agenda the question of a referendum about the membership of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, RIA Novosti reported.
“Any member of the legislative Assembly may propose to make, or to remove from the agenda any question, MP Borys Ivchenko proposed to remove this question and was supported by 38 deputies,” — said the information Department of the legislative Assembly.
Previously Zaks twice by a majority of voters refused to include this issue in the agenda and discuss it at meetings. Deputies must determine whether the referendum question with the Russian legislation.
In late March, the electoral Commission of Saint-Petersburg recognized the documents of the initiative group on referendum to the relevant legislation. The vote suggests that the issue of consent of the population to consolidate the Cathedral of Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, of the resurrection of Christ and of the apostles Peter and Paul, the status of state museums, with the possibility of conducting religious rites and ceremonies.
In the ROC said that the holding of such a referendum would be nonsense. According to the head of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate on relations of the Church with society and mass media Vladimir Legoyda, in fact, the referendum involves consideration of the feasibility of compliance with the Federal law “On transfer to religious organizations of property of religious appointment”.
In January, the authorities of St.-Petersburg has agreed to transfer to St. Isaac’s Cathedral to the gratuitous use of the Russian Orthodox Church for 49 years. Governor Georgy Poltavchenko has promised to keep the Museum function of the building. This decision angered some citizens, who held a series of meetings.