RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Tragic accident leads to confrontation among Ukrainian churches

TOYS BROUGHT TO CHURCHES OF MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE IN ZAPOROZHE IN SIGN OF PROTEST AGAINST REFUSAL TO PERFORM FUNERAL FOR CHILD

Child was baptized in church of Kiev patriarchate

Portal-Credo.ru, 6 January 2018

 

Zaporozhe residents have started bringing dolls to churches of the Moscow patriarchate within the context of an action "#Bring_a_Doll" that was launched by Zaporozhe blogger Yury Gudymenko. Activists shared photographs on social networks, the website "061" reported on 5 January.

 

The first toys were brought to the church of St. John of Kronstadt in the Zavod district, where a deceased child was refused a funeral. Along with the dolls, activists left a sign: "Ditina was not guilty of anything."

 

A similar photo was shared on social networks by journalist Sergei Sidorov, who brought a toy to a church in Malyi Rynok district.

 

The action was joined by residents of other Ukrainian cities. Relevant photographs, specifically, were shared by a resident of Slaviansk, Irina Makeeviskaya. The woman brought toys to a Moscow patriarchate church in Slaviansk of Donetsk province.

 

Zaporozhe native Yury Gudymenko launched on social networks a flash mob "against priests of the Moscow patriarchate," who refused to perform a funeral for a deceased child. The issue involved a two-year-old boy, upon whom a suicide [who threw himself out of a window] fell. Right at the burial of the child, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate [UPTsMP] refused to perform the funeral ritual because he had been baptized in a church of the Kiev patriarchate. The child's mother fell to her knees in front of the priest, but the man refused outright, arguing that the church of the Kiev patriarchate was "self-proclaimed." Later UPTsMP Metropolitan of Zaporozhe and Melitopol Luka praised the priest who committed this cruel act. On the Internet, various defenses of priests of the Moscow patriarchate began appearing, which maintained an aggressive spirit and caused serious damage to the image of this church structure. (tr. by PDS, posted 9 January 2018)


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