RALLY IN DONETSK AGAINST GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH DEMANDING "TO DRIVE OUT SECTARIANS"
Religiia v Ukraine, 29 January 2016
A rally against the activity of sectarian organizations on 29 January in Donetsk drew about 2,000 residents. The demonstration was conducted at the walls of a Greek Ctholic church in the front line region of Kuibyshev, Religiia v Ukraine reports, with reference to Lifedon.com.ua.
Residents held posters in their hands and people chanted "No to the faith that blesses war in the Donbass," "Stop persecution of Orthodox," and "Sects, get out of the DPR."
"This church collects humanitarian aid from parishioners and transfers it to the Ukrainian army. We do not want such a church on our land, which preaches war and imposes the idea of 'Independent Ukraine' on our residents, especially youth," Donetsk resident Natalia Pianova confided with journalists.
The rally was held near the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, which functions as a Greek Catholic church. Protesters called the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, "to take measures to drive sectarians from the country," the separatist website DAN writes in covering the event.
We recall that humanitarian aid for Ukrainian troops in the ATO zone has also been provided by dioceses and parishes of the UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate. Recently in the Rovno region, a metropolitan of the UPTsMP led a children's procession in support of peace and ATO troops, and UPTsMP priests in Kirovograd buried a fighter "who perished heroically during a clash with the enemy." (tr. by PDS, posted 1 February 2016)
PERSECUTION OF SECTARIAN ORGANIZATIONS WITH FINANCING FROM C.I.A. BEGINS IN DPR
Authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) organized in occupied Donetsk a rally against sectarian organizations. Simultaneously there began arrests of leaders of "nontraditional" churches. This was reported by a Donetsk correspondent of Ostrov.
The demonstration was held near a Greek Catholic church in Kuibyshev district.
Participants in the rally held posters in their hands: "Greek Catholic Church is channel of antirepublican activity," "Stop persecutions of Orthodox Christians," and "Let's say No to a faith blessing war in the Donbass."
During the rally, organizers of the action declared that "they do not want to see sects in the DPR," because "sectarians call for disorder in the republic." They said, "the C.I.A. is closely tied to the Greek Catholic Church," and it "cultivates" the youth through financing.
At the same time, there are reports from Donetsk about the possible arrest by siloviki of the DPR of one of the leaders of the Council of Churches of the province, Igor Kozlovsky, who is president of the Center of Religious Studies Research and International Religious Relations. On Kozlovsky's Facebook page his friends and subscribers are alarmed that Kozlovsky has not communicated for more than a day, which is unnatural for him since he takes care of bed-ridden patients and has no way to leave the city.
Earlier the website of the so-called DPR announced a rally against "sectarian organizations" in occupied Donetsk on 29 January. It was noted that rally participants are speaking out "against the influence of sectarian organizations on the population and the spreading and imposing of extremist ideas." "Within the framework of the protest action residents of the republic will call for ending the inflaming of interconfessional conflicts," the appeal said.
At the same time, the so-called "deputy of the people's council," the director of the organization Young Republic, Sergei Kondrykinsky, declared that the DPR has conducted its own investigation and discovered that "the C.I.A. sponsors the Greek Catholics." (tr. by PDS, posted 1 February 2016)
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