RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS

UPTsMP claims Ukrainian radicals targeted church

NATIONALISTS IN UKRAINE ATTACK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL

Interfax-Religiia, 2 March 2015

 

A group of nationalists staged a provocation on the grounds of the Transfiguration cathedral church in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

 

The incident occurred Sunday on the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. During the worship service, a representative of the organization Svoboda, holding in his hands a poster with offensive contents, "originally started a war of words and then attacked a security guard of the cathedral, causing him bodily harm," the press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports.

 

A group of approximately 20 persons in masks and camouflage clothing with markings of the Right Sector—an extremist organization banned in Russia—gathered near the church. They blocked the entrance, threatening the bishop, clergy, and believers.

 

When Archbishop of Sumy and Akhtyrka Evlogy came out onto the stairway of the cathedral at the conclusion of the service, "young people in masks wanted to approach the master, shouting various dirty curse words and threats of physical violence," the report says.

 

"Some of the attackers showed signs of the influence of drugs, as evidenced by the nature of their conduct. The crowd of attackers was pushed away from the bishop," the UPTs noted.

 

Several hours later some of the attackers returned to the cathedral, demanding to meet immediately with the bishop. They started a heated argument with the dean of the cathedral and demanded he open the door of the diocesan administration.

 

Archbishop Evlogy intends to send to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko an appeal to protect believers. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 March 2015)

 

RUSSIAN CHURCH CALLS FOR PROTECTING ORTHODOX IN UKRAINE FROM AGGRESSION

Interfax-Religiia, 2 March 2015

 

The Moscow patriarchate called for putting and end to intrusion into church buildings of the Orthodox in Ukraine.

 

"I very much hope that the failure to punish lawbreakers who invade church buildings will be stopped," the head of the synodal Informational Department, Vladimir Legoida, declared, who was quoted by his press service on Monday.

 

He recalled that on Sunday "a bunch of anonymous extremists" tried to break up an episcopal liturgy in the cathedral church of the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

 

"We have already had occasion to say many times that peace in Ukrainian society, just as, if you will, in any other society, is achieved only with unconditional respect for traditional parishes of believers, insuring them the possibility of worshipping without fear and threat," V. Legoida emphasized.

 

He noted that the majority of Ukrainian citizens belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, "and its protection from aggression by marginal groups is the immutable task of law enforcement agencies, who by law are called to act in the interests of the entire society." (tr. by PDS, posted 3 March 2015)

 

QUARREL NEAR CHURCH IN SUMY TURNS INTO BLATANT SCANDAL

RISU, 3 March 2015

 

On Sunday, 1 March, in Sumy a conflict occurred near the Transfiguration of the Savior cathedral belonging to the Sumy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate.

 

The version of the Sumy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP) was posted on the official website of the diocese. The text says that "during the worship service, at which the clergy of the cathedral center gathered, a public figure, Vladimir Ganzin, holding in his hands a poster with offensive contents, at first started a war of words but then attacked the security guard of the cathedral, causing him bodily harm."

 

The report also said that near the church there was a group of young people in masks and chevrons of the Right Sector of about 20 persons. They blocked the entrance, threatening the ruling bishop, clergy and believers, and when the bishop came out of the church they tried to approach him, shouting various dirty curses and threats of physical violence. "The crowd separated the attackers from the bishop. Only in this way was His Grace able to reach the residence. After this the attackers left, shouting patriotic slogans," the diocesan website says.

 

A RISU journalist asked Vladimir Ganzin to describe his version of the Sunday events. Here is what he reported: "On Sunday I was walking on Cathedral Street with a friend, leaving an event in support of Nadezhda Savchenko. We stopped near the church and stood there conversing. We did not bother anybody and we did not shout anything. We were simply standing in the street. Then a security guard rushed out of the church and began rudely pushing me and ripping a blue and yellow flag that had been distributed at the rally, and he twisted my arms. At that time a police patrol was coming along the street and they intervened in the conflict. It would have ended with this but then some boys from Right Sector appeared. I swear that I did not summon them, I don't know them, and I have nothing to do with them. Meanwhile some 'cossacks' came out of the church and  twirled I know not what. My friend and I were standing among them and trying to calm down both sides. I even hugged the guard. It all ended with my writing a statement for the police about the actions of the church security guard. I later tried to get a reception with Bishop Evlogy, to which they responded to me that reception day is Tuesday. Why this situation has evoked such resonance, I do not know."

 

A representative of Right Sector in Sumy, Denis Titarchuk, also stated his version of events near the church: "The office of the Right Sector was called and told that near the Transfiguration of the Savior cathedral a man was being beaten and the Ukrainian flag was being torn. We went out to the site and saw that there were about 100 aggressive people near the church. I note that there was only a verbal argument and nobody was using force. We did not block the entrance either into the church or into the diocesan administration. Nobody was touching the bishop and believers, and the police were securing order. We stated slogans and left."

 

Each side of the conflict has its own version of what actually happened near the church. But whatever happened, the consequence of the incident was that news about this was widely disseminated by Russian and pro-Russian mass media claiming that there is a threat to Orthodoxy in Sumy. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 March 2015)



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