Available in Russian
Author: Igor Pibaev
DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2023-6-116-145
Keywords: religious ministers; clergy; exception for ministers; discrimination; law; European Court of Human Rights; labor relations
The religious ministers are undoubtedly important for every member of a religious community. Their participation in the life of the community, as the European Court of Human Rights has emphasized, is a manifestation of religion protected by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. At the same time, in world practice, there are many models for determining the nature of the relationship between a religious community and its ministers, which often becomes the subject of judicial analysis. The article examines the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as those of other national courts, regarding prevailing approaches when considering cases on the nature of relations between religious associations and their ministers. The study explores the application by judicial authorities of the doctrine of “exceptions for ministers” (commonly known as the “ministerial exception”). The methodological basis of the study relies on the comparative legal method, referencing legislation and judicial practices established by the national courts of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Russia. Additionally, it considers cases in which applicants appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The systematization method was used in an attempt to classify the cases into three groups. The study concludes that, in the reviewed court decisions, secular courts are allowed to examine the merits of dismissals in each case and determine the extent to which, in the opinion of the secular court, the actions of church authorities are justified. The author formulates several approaches to understanding the nature of the relationship between religious associations and their ministers. The author points out that the “ministerial exception” is primarily a legal concept in the United States. Comparable exceptions exist in European countries and other jurisdictions. However, these exceptions are not based on an argument about religious autonomy but on the special status of historically dominant churches.
About the author: Igor Pibaev – Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D.) in Law, Associate Professor of the Department of State Legal Disciplines of Volga-Vyatka Institute (branch) of Kutafin Moscow State Law University, Kirov, Russia.
Citation: Pibaev I. (2023) Pravovye otnosheniya mezhdu religioznymi organizatsiyami i ikh sluzhitelyami: trudovaya ili svyashchennaya deyatel’nost’? [Legal relations between religious organizations and their ministers: labour activity or service?]. Sravnitel’noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 116–145. (In Russian).
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