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Orthodox fight over church building in Ukraine

ST. NICHOLAS BATTLE IN KIEV.
Prelude to "militant visit" by Patriarch Kirill to Ukrainian capital.
by Kseniia Doroshenko, Kiev
Portal-credo.ru, 26 February 2009

It is widely known that in various regions of Ukraine, primarily western ones, from time to time "battles for a church" with local significance break out. To be sure, in recent years such "battles" have become rare, but back at the beginning of the 90s, on the eve of and immediately after the restoration of Ukrainian independence, they had an epidemic character. The redistribution of churches in western Ukraine was the result of the "twists" of soviet theomachistic policy manifested in the formal "suppression" of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church, which in fact went into the underground and with which the whole west Ukrainian clergy, nominally compelled to submit to RPTsMP, sympathized to one degree or another. When the pressure of the struggle against God weakened, the old hurts came to the surface: Greek Catholics began returning to their churches. In some cases the RPTsMP found a certain number of supporters to repulse them. The young Ukrainian state tried to remove the legal basis from under the conflicts, issuing a law for the shared use of the "disputed" churches by congregations of various confessions. Gradually the situation normalized and ecclesiastical crime news from west Ukraine ceased arriving.

However it began coming from dioceses of central Ukraine, where the interests of the two Ukrainian Orthodox churches, of the Moscow and Kievan patriarchates, collided. Although during the prolonged presidency of Leonid Kuchma, who openly favored UPTsMP, there were practically no incidents. But the victory in the subsequent Orange Revolution in 2004 of the "nationally oriented" government substantially strengthened the position of UPTsKP, which began more boldly to declare their claims to buildings that had not been turned over to the church. The greatest publicity was given to the dispute over the historic St. Catherine's church in Chernigov, at whose walls there were both fights and sieges and a tent camp and, it seems, legal proceedings. In the Ukrainian capital a confessional balance was established at the end of the 1990s and churches were allotted more or less equally among all churches laying claim to them and the situation quickly approached superficially apparent interconfessional harmony. And suddenly, on the eve of the announced visit to Kiev of the new patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, conflict has broken out which immediately acquired an international character and acutely strained relations of UPTsMP and UPTsKP.

Since there are no religious confessions with a status that vaguely resembles that of a state church in Ukraine, and certainly not in Kiev, and the existing Orthodox parishes compete freely with one another, new churches have been being built in the Ukrainian capital for a rather long time. With rare exceptions, the state and city hall have not given substantial help to the parishes and contributions from business and simple parishioners have not been large. But now comes our current hero, the church of St. Nicholas in Shevchenko region of Kiev on the corner of Nagornaia and Smorodinovo streets, which has been under construction for almost 15 years. The ceremonies of its cornerstone and consecration of crosses erected on the church cupola were conducted by Patriarch of Kiev and all-Rus Ukraine Filaret, since the church was built by a parish of the Kievan patriarchate. No other parishes made claims to the building being built.

What appears to be more strange is not simply the statement of such claims but even vigorous actions for seizure of the property using pro-Moscow oriented militarized "Cossacks" immediately after the newly elected Patriarch Kirill announced an imminent arrival in Kiev. One can spend time puzzling about which of the sides, and for what purposes, this "battle for the church" in the center of Kiev on the eve of the arrival of the Moscow patriarch benefits, but the connection of these two events becomes obvious.

The start of the armed clash was brought about by the abrupt decision by the administration of the Shevchenko region of Kiev to transfer the church, which suddenly became "contested," to a parish of UPTsMP. The church has been built in memory of victims of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the worship services for all these long years have been conducted by a priest of the Kievan patriarchate in the temporary chapel right next to the church building, which also was consecrated by Patriarch Filaret. The priest and parishioners did not know that a couple of autumns ago "rivals" from the Moscow patriarchate, supported by a certain charitable foundation of St. Elizabeth Romanova (I. Baranovsky, president) approached the Shevchenko administration with the request to transfer the church to them. The main argument produced by the "rivals," was that they had, in contrast to the Kievan patriarchate, sufficient financial resources not only to complete construction of the church quickly, giving it an architectural appearance that would recall the damaged Chernobyl reactor, but also to reconstruct the child care center on Saliutnaia street. The applicants provided documents confirming their ability to donate to the church and child care center a million US dollars.

The Shevchenko regional council, which previously had not encountered such offers, willingly accepted the charitable aid, and the head of the administration quickly signed an agreement with the applicants accepting the "charitable aid" in exchange for the "unfinished building" of the Kievan patriarchate. It soon became clear that the deputies did not know about the claims to the church by parishes of the two different churches, since the administration, in proposing to accept the "charitable aid" reported only that the offer came from some foundation and was silent about the UPTsMP parish. The parishioners and leadership of UPTsKP learned about these back-door conversations only much later and through unofficial channels. This special operation was turned over to the UPTsMP parish of the Icon of the "Joy of all those Sorrowing" Mother of God, whose address was a private apartment. The agreement between the Shevchenko administration and the "donors" unequivocally provided for the sale of the church, which was considered the property of the administration until completion of construction.

The problem is complicated by the circumstance that the head of the "rival" UPTsMP parish, which still exists only as an apartment, is a former priest of UPTsKP, Roman Baranovsky (brother of the head of the Elizabeth Romanova foundation, I. Baranovsky), who was forced to leave the Kievan patriarchate because of his vigorous political activity aimed for the "regeneration of the Russian monarchy," and the creation of a sisterhood, which is considered by the patriarchate to be "suspicious and sectarian." It is yet more characteristic that the UPTsMP church next to the October Hospital, whose designated rector is the former "Filaretite," Fr Roman Baranovsky, remains under construction. Considering this condition, the Kievan patriarchate proposed to the Shevchenko administration an "easy way out" of the complicated situation of interconfessional conflict over the church of St. Nicholas: credit the "charitable aid" of the Baranovsky brothers for completion of the church near the October Hospital which, in contrast to the St. Nicholas church, already is under their immediate responsibility.

Priest Roman Baranovsky blames the Shevchenko administration for the complicated situation, which, in his words, had itself appealed to his brother's foundation requesting that the charitable aid be given for completion of the construction of the church and for the child care center that has nothing to do with the church. Representatives of the administration supposedly warned him that the UPTsKP parish had previously "laid claim" to the church, "although later it refused to donate charitable aid and refused to complete construction of the church." It seems that the Kievan patriarchate categorically denies this information. The press center of UPTsKP distributed an official statement that the Shevchenko administration never made such suggestions to the patriarchate and, consequently, UPTsKP did not refuse to complete construction of the church.

Meanwhile, the Kiev metropolia of UPTsMP named its own rector for the disputed church of St. Nicholas. He is, not surprisingly, not Fr Roman Baranovsky, whose brother donated a million dollars for the church, but a certain Fr Sergii Temnik. On 1 February, the day of the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill, he planned a liturgy in the disputed church for whose "protection" he invited a group of pro-Moscow Cossacks. The Kievan patriarchate's rector of this church, Fr Ioann, who called for the liturgy not to be performed, was ushered out of the premises by the Cossacks. Fr Ioann tried to respond to this: on the Sunday of the publican and Pharisee, 8 February, representatives of Ukrainian nationalistic organizations approached the church, although they were not about to be drawn into scuffles with the Cossacks. Beginning on 15 February, the "Cossack security" of representatives of UPTsMP, based in the church, was substantially strengthened and turned into a round-the-clock operation. However on 21 February representatives of Ukrainian organizations of UPTsKP managed to enter the church through a fire door, after which the Cossacks began a brawl with representatives of UPTsKP, which police officers arrived to separate. In the course of the brawl, police officers removed the altar, icons, and sacred objects from the church, which representatives of UPTsKP had managed to bring there for performing a liturgy in the morning of the next day. The Kievan patriarchate considered such action as sacrilege and desecration of sacred objects.

Early in the morning of the next Sunday, 22 February, 60 cossacks had already been stationed at the church along with a mass of police officers, who removed by force representatives of UPTsKP from the building and "protected the conduct of the liturgy" by a priest of UPTsMP. And the rector of the disputed church from the latter, Fr Sergii Temnik, threatened believers of UPTsKP that it they "were insolent," then their chapel, located several dozen meters from the church, would soon be no more. Despite this, police officers sealed the church upon completion of the liturgy, declaring that nobody would be permitted to enter it until the authorities made a final decision about its fate.

Meanwhile, in the Russian news media a genuine informational war against UPTsKP has flared up, from which the gullible reader, listener, or observer could think that some "bandits" have come practically straight from Georgia in order to expel the believers of the Moscow patriarchate from its churches in Kiev and to protect churches from bullets of nationalists with their own bodies at sites Patriarch Kirill will soon visit. "Again you will not understand what goes on in Ukraine and they will not even let you pray at peace if you are not a nationalist," the gullible and good-intentioned Russian will conclude.

The head of the press center of the Kievan patriarchate, Bishop of Vasilkov Evstraty, gave this comment on events in the Shevchenko region of Kiev:  "Today one may state precisely, events surrounding the so-called 'seizure' of the St. Nicholas church in Kiev are part of an informational provocation, planned in Russia, against Ukraine as a whole and the Kievan patriarchate in particular." On the morning of 22 February, several Russian informational web sites published simultaneously "information" that militant nationalists tried to seize a UPTsMP church in Kiev and in the evening this information had already been broadcast on Russian television. In the morning of 23 February a group of young residents of suburbs of Moscow, united in the pro-Kremlin "second level" movement "Mestnye," with the blessing of Deacon Andrei Kuraev and Kirill Frolov assembled at the embassy of Ukraine in Moscow for "a protest demonstration against those who seized buildings of the canonical church."

Of course, it is possible to understand the unsuccessful "PR makers" of the Moscow patriarchate who in the absence of real "heroism" in life of their more than privileged confession try to turn into a "confessor" someone who was once summoned to the prosecutor's office, and to see "persecution" where only simple corruption in their own interest occurs. The clear lack of correspondence of such militant rhetoric to the real well-being and earthly prosperity of RPTsMP will not turn for it into a quick "missionary breakthrough." And so they have to rely, as earlier since 1927, "on princes and on the sons of men," who can transfer to them property in this world and provide security by force.  (tr. by PDS, posted 27 February 2009)

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Sectarians resist medical treatment

DAUGHTER OF SECTARIANS ALMOST DIES FROM TUMOR IN VOLOGDA PROVINCE
Interfax, 13 February 2009

The parents of seriously ill Svetlana Zagoskina, who are members of the so-called sect of Christian Abstainers, did not give consent to an operation.

A girl with a dangerous tumor was brought in serious condition to the receiving ward of the Vologda provincial hospital by marshals of the court.

"The reaction of the father, who tried to chase us in his own car, is understandable. He chased us. But after the officers explained that our actions were legal, he went back," the chief of the department of marshals of the court for Siamzhensk region of the province, Andrei Masterov, explained.

A year ago, at a school medical exam, doctors discovered a tumor on the girl and sent her for examination. However the parents of Svetlana categorically refused help from medical workers, believing that their daughter would be saved by a miracle.

"People are healed of AIDS, people are healed of promiscuity, and we believe that the same thing will happen to our daughter," Svetlana's father declared.

And the girl herself hoped for aid from higher powers. Even the foster parents to whom she was temporarily turned over for education by court decision were unable to persuade Svetlana, the First Channel reports.

Svetlana's condition worsened with each day and physicians insisted upon immediate examination. After long pleading they managed to persuade her to enter the hospital immediately.

The operation lasted three hours and came out successfully and now S. Zagoskina's life is not threatened by anything. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 February 2009)

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Ukrainian authorities support nationalists

SCHISMATICS DEMAND PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATE STATEMENTS OF BISHOP OF CANONICAL UKRAINIAN CHURCH
Interfax, 13 February 2009

Bishop of Sumy and Akhtyrka Evlogy was summoned Friday by an investigator to the prosecutor's office to give explanations in connection with his speech in Sumy State University on the topic of the church schism in Ukraine.

"This investigation was conducted by the prosecutor on the basis of a demand by the schismatic group UPTsKP, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, National RUKH of Ukraine, and other nationalistic organizations," the Odessa "United Fatherland" public organization reported on its site.

Responding to the investigator's questions, Bishop Evlogy noted that in his speech in the institution of higher education he did not express anything that was insulting but only stated that the so-called Kievan patriarchate, which is not recognized by a single one of the local Orthodox churches, lacks grace.

Having learned about the summons to the master, hundreds of Orthodox believers from the city of Sumy arrived that day at the building of the prosecutor's office with placards which read "Our patriarch is Kirill, our metropolitan is Vladimir, our bishop is Evlogy," "Orthodox Sumy land supports Master Evlogy," "Master! We are with you," "Down with the Filaretite schism," "Today interrogation, tomorrow shooting?"

They also prayed for their archpastor and, when he came out of the building, they greeted him with singing of church music.

Addressing the believers, the master declared that in independent Ukraine this was the first instance of an Orthodox bishop being interrogated in the prosecutor's office on the basis of his religious convictions.

In his words, for now Sumy province "is the only province in Ukraine where the Filaretites, with the collusion of the authorities, still are seizing churches."

"Quite recently we all were shocked by the seizure of the church of the Holy Spirit in the city of Romny. And when throughout Ukraine we speak about the lawlessness, they do not want to listen to us, the authorities are silent, the prosecutor is silent, SBU is silent. But they immediately respond to the demands of the Filaretites and nationalists," the bishop complained.  (tr. by PDS, posted 13 February 2009)

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Religion injected into local political contest

BAPTIST CARD PLAYED IN SMOLENSK MAYORAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Slavic Legal Center, 13 February 2009

During the election campaign for the post of mayor of Smolensk, political workers have played the Baptist card, distributing a phony newspaper depicting the Union of Baptists as supposedly supporting one of the candidates, the press service of the Slavic Legal Center reports.

There are around 10 candidates competing for the post of mayor in elections scheduled for 1 March. On 12 February a newspaper was distributed throughout the city with the banner "Special edition of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (EKhB) for Smolensk," where the Baptists supposedly expressed support for candidate Sergei Maslakov.

In an interview with the press service of the Slavic Legal Center, the senior presbyter of the Association of EKhB churches of Smolensk province, Viktor Ignatenko, noted that this candidate does not have any kind of relationship to the Baptist church and has never been a parishioner of a Baptist church. The newspaper that was distributed displays a clear falsehood that the newspaper was produced by the Union of Baptists with the support of the campaign fund of Maslakov. The newspaper states its circulation as 70,000 copies.

According to Presbyter Viktor Ignatenko, the newspaper produced by political workers contains a forged statement and interview with the head of the Union of Baptists, Yury Sipko, with his photograph and also several other supposedly Baptist figures. For example, the newspaper printed a photo of the pastor of the Moscow EKhB "Resurrection" church, Pavel Begichev, but the caption under the photo says "Yurgis Kalvaitis. A photo of the dean of the Moscow EKhB seminary, Alexander Mitrophanov, also was printed with the caption under it "Lev Abramtsev." The words of a certain unknown master of theology Sergei Kariakin were printed.

As Presbyter Viktor Ignatenko stressed, the contents of the material clearly demonstrate that the authors had a great desire to discredit the Union of Baptists and Baptists as a whole. In essence the unknown "dirty" political workers intentionally and knowingly organized a far-reaching provocation against Baptists.

In the phony newspaper, for example, there are such statements as "it is necessary to get away from pure Orthodoxy and thanks to Maslakov our Baptist faith will be strengthened. . . ," "It will be very good if Baptists are represented in offices of government and we will get finances from the local budget. . . ," "The Orthodox faith has seriously discredited itself and only Baptists can take responsibility for the fate of the country. . . ."  In the "interview" with Sipko there is a statement about why the Russian Baptists supposedly "need financial aid from the West." Candidate Maslakov himself supposedly says such things in the newspaper as "Orthodox believers call us a sect, but Baptists are not such despite all of the scandals surrounding Baptists associated with pedophilia, polygamy, and the like. . . . Let the Baptists live peacefully as they wish."

According to Presbyter Viktor Ignatenko, such material undoubtedly is intended to inflame interreligious strife and hatred toward Baptists and to arouse public anger against Baptists by means of gross falsehood.

As the chief editor of the "Religion and Law" journal, Russian State Humanities University professor Anatoly Pchelintsev, emphasized, the Smolensk counterfeit has far-reaching consequences: to discredit one of the candidates for mayor, to vilify Baptists, and to give a negative image of the Orthodox church by means of their words. This is an attempt to disrupt interreligious harmony in the region and a test run of dirty tricks in advance of the future federal elections. In Pchelintsev's opinion, Baptists have never conducted themselves in the way described in the newspaper and have never interfered in political activity or conducted aggressive evangelistic work. Pchelintsev stressed that Baptists are a traditional Russian protestant confession which has existed now more than 150 years in Russia. Baptists have always viewed the Russian Orthodox church as the focal point of the spiritual experience and cultural heritage of the Russian people. In Anatoly Pchelintsev's opinion, the newspaper should be considered an extremist publication which is intended to arouse interreligious strife. Law enforcement agencies should make a proper evaluation of this action that is unprecedented in its brazenness and cynicism.  (tr. by PDS, posted 13 February 2009)


HEAD OF SMOLENSK BAPTISTS ASKS PROSECUTOR IS INVESTIGATE INSTANCE OF INCITEMENT OF RELIGIOUS STRIFE IN ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Religiia v svetskom obshchestve, 13 February 2009

The bishop of Evangelical Christians-Baptists for Smolensk province, Viktor Ignatenkov, submitted a statement to the provincial prosecutor's office regarding the distribution of materials in the course of the electoral campaign for mayor of Smolensk. A "Special edition of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists for Smolensk" of the "Protestant" newspaper, issued in support of one of the candidates, is a fabrication and has nothing to do with the Union of Baptists and contains a mass of provocational statements.

"Photographs of representatives of our confession placed in the newspaper and their supposed statements besmirch the honor and dignity of both our parishioners and the persons depicted in the newspaper.  The material of the newspaper seeks to stir up the population of the city of Smolensk against our church, which qualifies as incitement of interconfessional strife," Ignatenkov says in his statement.

The head of Smolensk Baptists asks the prosecutor to conduct an evaluation and to take measures provided for by legislation. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 February 2009)


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American religious programs in Russian schools

SECTS PENETRATE TULA PROVINCE SCHOOLS UNDER GUISE OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Interfax, 6 February 2009

The Tula diocese is sounding the alarm in connection with attempts of sectarians to penetrate the regional educational system.

"At the present time the program "Life at the Crossroads: vital character-forming habits," aimed at the development of minors' character and prevention of AIDS is actively being introduced into several schools of the province, bypassing the offices of administration of the educational system. The program was developed in USA and has clearly religious contents, the secretary of the evangelism department of the diocese, Aleksei Yarasov, told an Interfax-religiia correspondent on Friday.

He said that the noncommercial organization "Youth at the Crossroads" is engaged in promoting this program in Russia; the organization is in turn the Russian department of the international educational organization "Crossroads."

"Youth at the Crossroads" has organized teaching seminars in schools of Moscow, Veliky Novgorod, Tula, Krasnoyarsk, Kostroma, and other cities of the country along with public organizations and institutions of various types of neoprotestant and charismatic sects. These seminars are periodically organized by sects immediately and are conducted on the grounds of their houses of worship," the agency's informant noted.

The goal of the seminar is the preparation of volunteers from among teachers and employees of the educational system.  After a three-day seminar the trainees are given a certificate permitting them to work with children in the "Life at the Crossroads" program.

"Besides the dubious methods of moral training of school children proposed by this program, the clearly discernable goals of its authors to draw teachers and students into religious organizations of a sectarian character cause grief. The methodological resources of this program indicate how it is possible to do this," Yarasov said.

He stated that the "Life at the Crossroads" program is aimed at getting the children to master "the protestant system of values that is most widespread in USA" and it includes, inter alia, joint prayers of teachers with pupils "which under certain circumstances contradicts the federal laws 'On freedom of conscience' and 'On education.'"

A. Yarasov is concerned that "sectarians under the cover of various kinds of programs of drug and alcoholism prevention and elevating the morals of the rising generation are conducting active evangelism and conversion work in Russian schools."

"And all of this occurs against the background of the informational war against the introduction into Russian schools of the 'Foundations of Orthodox culture' subject generated by anti-Russian and prosectarian forces," the diocesan employee notes. (tr. by PDS, posted 8 February 2009)

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Russian state leaders support patriarch

RPTs BISHOP: CHURCH AND STATE STRIVE FOR "SYMPHONIA"
Blagovest-info, 6 February 2009

Church-state relations in Russia will develop in the spirit of "symphonia" (harmony), thinks Bishop of Vienna and Austria Ilarion, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in international European organizations.

"One must hope that church-state relations in Russia will develop in the spirit of such 'symphonia,'" the bishop told RIA Novosti, responding to a question about the future of relations of RPTs with the state authorities under the new patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, Kirill.

The bishop recalled that the word "symphonia" resounded in Patriarch Kirill's speech at the ceremonial dinner held in his honor in the Kremlin. This word, Bishop Ilarion noted, signifies something more than simple mutual noninterference of state and church in each other's affairs or even simple cooperation in one or another sphere.

"Symphonia is agreement, literally 'harmony,' that is, the ability to come to consensus, to find a common point of view, common approaches to the resolution of key problems of the present," the agency's interlocutor said.

He said that in Byzantium "symphonia" between the church and state often turned into the subordination of the church to the state and the emperor's will, since the latter acted "in the capacity of a conductor."

"In contemporary Russia, in contrast to Byzantium, the church is separated from the state and this is the guarantee that under symphonia there will not be a conductor in the person of the head of state or any governmental bureaucrat," the representative of RPTs stressed.

He recalled that the state is concerned about earth and the church, about heaven. "In the clear division of competencies is the guarantee that in church-state symphonia there will be no dissonances but that church-state relations will develop harmoniously, in accordance with principles set forth in the 'Bases of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church,'" the bishop added.

He recalled that the late Patriarch Alexis II called mutual relations between the church and state in contemporary Russia "close to the ideal." "Actually, in the years of his patriarchate they managed to construct a model of state-church relations which guarantees the church complete noninterference in its internal affairs on the part of the state and at the same time there are broad possibilities for cooperation and mutual actions in many spheres affecting the spiritual welfare of citizens," the bishop thinks.

According to his observations, "in recent days the state authorities have declared very unambiguously their support for the newly elected Patriarch Kirill and that the course for further strengthening of church-state relations will be continued." As evidence the bishop mentioned the presence of the president and prime minister of the country at the enthronement and the dinner organized by the president in honor of the newly elected patriarch and participants of the local council and the presence of the prime minister at the reception following the enthronement.

"All of these are visible signs of the attention and respect that the state authorities think should be shown to Patriarch Kirill," Bishop Ilarion concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 6 February 2009)

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Armenian law threatens Jehovah's Witnesses

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT INCREASES PUNISHMENT FOR ATTEMPT TO CONVERT CHRISTIANS TO OTHER CONFESSIONS
by Narine Kirakosian
Blagovest-info, 6 February 2009

The National Assembly of Armenia has received a draft of amendments and additions to the law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations." In presenting them, one of the authors of the draft law, deputy from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Armen Ashotian, emphasized that the law with amendments is called in the first place to help in the struggle against so-called "fishermen of souls." Another important amendment to the document is the definition of the circle of Christian organizations which are recognized in Armenia and will not be subject to sanctions. According to the draft law, organizations that are considered Christian are all those who name Jesus Christ as God and recognize the Holy Trinity. [ed. note: this excludes Jehovah's Witnesses]

Speaking about proselytism, Ashotian noted that "many in Armenia are annoyed by the persistent preachers of various religions organizations who way lay their victims at almost every step, on the street and knocking on the doors of apartments." In this context Ashotiam noted that the draft law clarifies the various interpretations of the word "proselytism" and will define agitation among citizens with other religious or theological views as suggesting or offering material reward, using physical, moral or psychological pressure or compulsion, creating distrust or hatred for representatives of other religious organizations or their faith and activity, defaming another faith, pursuing people in their apartments, place of work, or places of recreation, as well as on the phone without their request and desire. Accordingly, parallel with the amendments in this law, a point will be inserted in the Criminal Code of Armenia about sanctions for proselytism which is punishable by a fine of 500 times the minimum wage or by imprisonment up to one year. Ashotian noted that it is no accident that the list of amendments to the law includes the health of citizens, since incidents are not rare where members of religious organizations refuse blood transfusions and surgical operations on the basis of religious convictions, thereby dooming themselves or their children to disaster. [ed. note: another distinctive of Jehovah's Witnesses] "I think that this is passive euthanasia and euthanasia is prohibited in Armenia," he stressed. Other amendments to the law provide a procedure for granting an organization religious status:  now to get that status it will be necessary to have not 200 but 1,000 believing members who may not be minors (younger that 18), regardless of their attendance at religious rituals and other events.

The deputies of the Armenian parliament emphasize that the amendments and changes in the law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations," which was adopted in 1991 and last reviewed in 2001 were aided by the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is not itself in a condition to fight against the growing number of conversions of Christians into other confessions. We note, that Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity, in A.D. 301, as the state religion. (tr. by PDS, posted 6 February 2009)

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Kiev megachurch leader still under suspicion

CRIMINAL CASE BEGUN AGAINST EMBASSY OF GOD PASTOR SUNDAY ADELAJA
Portal-credo.ru, 5 February 2009

Investigative organs have initiated a criminal case against Embassy of God Pastor Sunday Adelaja regarding fraud of the "King's Capital" company and have received from him his signature not to depart.

A correspondent of UNIAN reported that the deputy chief of the Main Investigation Administration of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Viktor Ilchuk, announced this on 5 February at a briefing in Kiev.

"With regard to him, a criminal case for fraud was opened and a restraint order was issued, a pledge not to depart," he said, adding at the same time that appropriate procedural actions were taken by investigators ten days ago, although at the present time an indictment has not been issued against Adelaja and "he is still a witness."

Responding to one of the questions pertaining to the search of the premises of Adelaja, Ilchuk announced that at the time of these events several documents and resources were seized. "We are now determining what these resources are and how they were obtained," the deputy chief said.

At the same time he noted that the order regarding opening the criminal case against the pastor has not been appealed in court and, consequently, it has not been rescinded.

As UNIAN reported, on 12 November 2008 the leadership of the "King's Capital" company announced the decision to temporarily cease payments to clients. On 24 November the capital police arrested the director of "King's Capital," Alexander Bandurchenko, on a charge of fraud with citizens' money.

The chief of the Main Administration of MVD of Ukraine in the city of Kiev, Vitaly Yarema, stated that the basis for opening the criminal case in accordance with part 4 of article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud) was the statement from almost 60 citizens who were not able to get either the promised returns or the money deposited in accordance with agreements concluded with "King's Capital."

On 2 January Kiev police began a search in the places of work and residence of "Embassy of God" pastor s. Adelaja, within the investigation of the criminal case with respect to the activity of "King's Capital."

At the Kiev police station it also was noted that this is connected with the fact that the statements of the victims of "King's Capital" activity noted that it was Adelaja who, at the time of his preaching, called parishioners to invest money in this financial institution. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 February 2009)

CRIMINAL CASE OPENED AGAINST SUNDAY ADELAJA
Invictory.org, 5 February 2009

Police opened a criminal case against the pastor of the "Embassy of God" church, Sunday Adelaja on suspicion of fraud, the Christian megaportal invictory.org reported, citing the "Ukrainski Novini" site. The deputy chief of the Main investigation Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Viktor Ilchuk, announced.

He noted that the case was opened on the basis of article 190 of the Criminal Code (fraud). According to Ilchuk, Adelaja's status now is that of a witness since over the course of ten days he has not been issued an indictment.

He also reported that as a witness a measure of restraint was lodged against Adelaja, a pledge not to depart. In addition, the deputy chief of the Main Investigation Administration emphasized that the investigation possesses evidence from, inter alia, responsible persons that Adelaja belongs to the financial machinations of  King's Capital.

However, on the LIGABiznesinform site it is noted that at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) it is not sure that Sunday Adelaja will be indicted for fraud. "It is premature to say whether he will be indicted or not," Viktor Ilchuk said, according to the quotation of a correspondent of LIGANiznesinform. He said that at the present time searches have been conducted in a number of residences of Sunday Adelaja and documents and money have been seized. At the same time he did not indicate the total sum of resources seized. The investigation is ascertaining the source of this money.

As the "Ukrainski novini" agency reported, Kiev Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, who is a parishioner of the "Embassy of God" church, thinks that its pastor, Sunday Adelaja, has not participated in the machinations of the King's Capital financial group.

Earlier Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Lutsenko declared the affiliation of the "Embassy of God" church with the activity of the King's Capitsl financial group, after Adelaja accused Lutsenko of slander regarding the affiliation of the church in the activity of this financial group. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 February 2009)


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