Ukrainian mayor bans Orthodox Church under pretext of national security threat

Konotop, Sumy Province, Ukraine, May 5, 2022

Mayor Artem Semenikhin with a picture of Ukrainian nazi Stepan Bandera. Photo: fakty.com.ua Mayor Artem Semenikhin with a picture of Ukrainian nazi Stepan Bandera. Photo: fakty.com.ua     

According to a new order from the mayor of Konotop, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been banned in the city.

Mayor Artem Semenikhin claims that the Church “threatens national security.”

Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of such votes and orders throughout Ukraine since the fratricidal war began in late February. In March, two bills were submitted to the Ukrainian Parliament to ban the Church throughout the entire country.

The Konotop mayor is a notorious member of the far-right nationalist Svoboda party, which has been involved in attacks on the canonical Church for years. A 2019 Times of Israel article referred to Semenikhin and Svoboda as “neo-Nazi” and “anti-Semitic.”

“There’s no difference between the enemy and it’s agent. And in the case of the Moscow Patriarchate, it’s two in one,” the head of the Sumy Province city writes about the new order. “Therefore, I decided to ban the activities of this FSB agency network on territory of my city.”

In the order, Semenikhin accuses the UOC of “anti-Ukrainian activities” by running Russian propaganda in its churches, and thus bans the Church “in order to consolidate Ukrainian society and prevent a split in Konotop communities on religious grounds.”

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5/5/2022

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The cathedral is home to a 19th-century copy of the wonderworking Lifegiving Spring icon, which “survived the events of the God-fighting 20th century, the Great Patriotic War; they managed to preserve it in the most difficult times for the city residents and all our people.” Ivano-Frankivsk authorities demand that Ukrainian Church be banned throughout the country Ivano-Frankivsk authorities demand that Ukrainian Church be banned throughout the country Ivano-Frankivsk authorities demand that Ukrainian Church be banned throughout the country Ivano-Frankivsk authorities demand that Ukrainian Church be banned throughout the country
The demand comes a week after the clergy and parishioners of the Ivano-Frankivsk Diocese made their own appeal to the President to protect their Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, the only church not closed by authorities in the western Ivano-Frankivsk Province, home to 1,368,000 people. Metropolitan of Zaporozhye: War is caused by sin and resolved by repentance Metropolitan of Zaporozhye: War is caused by sin and resolved by repentance Metropolitan of Zaporozhye: War is caused by sin and resolved by repentance Metropolitan of Zaporozhye: War is caused by sin and resolved by repentance
On March 30, His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye, one of the most outspoken and authoritative hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church spoke with the BBC about the Church’s life under the conditions of the fratricidal war. Ukrainian schismatic “priest,” Uniates, consider Nazi SS Galicia fighters saints Ukrainian schismatic “priest,” Uniates, consider Nazi SS Galicia fighters saints
Matfey Shaheen Ukrainian schismatic “priest,” Uniates, consider Nazi SS Galicia fighters saints Ukrainian schismatic “priest,” Uniates, consider Nazi SS Galicia fighters saints
Matfey Shaheen
In a disgusting, yet tragically unsurprising speech, it recently came to light that yet another “priest” of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”(OCU) literally glorifies Nazis. False Patriarch Philaret awards fighters of pro-Nazi militia C14 False Patriarch Philaret awards fighters of pro-Nazi militia C14 False Patriarch Philaret awards fighters of pro-Nazi militia C14 False Patriarch Philaret awards fighters of pro-Nazi militia C14
The self-declared “Patriarch of Kiev and all Rus’-Ukraine”, and Honorary Patriarch of the schismatic OCU, from which he himself is now in schism, awarded members of the ultra-nationalist militia C14, claiming it was for their “good deeds” . False Patriarch Philaret blesses a Nationalist Mural with Nazi symbolism False Patriarch Philaret blesses a Nationalist Mural with Nazi symbolism False Patriarch Philaret blesses a Nationalist Mural with Nazi symbolism False Patriarch Philaret blesses a Nationalist Mural with Nazi symbolism
Matfey Shaheen
Their “icons” are not about God, but about Nazism, where they depict the war and bloodshed they so love. If Orthodoxy and God Himself disagrees with their views, they will make their own sect, and worship their own idols.
Comments
Cat5/7/2022 10:35 am
Worse things got a pass for "security" concerns... concerns, not even real events! This is a universal practice of every autocratic hellhole.
Eileen5/6/2022 8:19 pm
These neo nazi monsters have been making the lives of Ukrainian people of Russian oriantation a misery. by burning them out of their homes & businesses and even torturing & murdering them without provication. They are owned by Soros & his luciferian freemason criminals and are used to create chaos murder & distruction filming it & blaming it on Mr. Putin. I am not adulating Mr Putin but i know he is a much nobler person ( albeit a sinner...like the rest of us ) than any of its so called leaders. God help us. We should pray, pray, pray like we have never prayed before. Come Lord Jesus Come... God Bless ye all.
Alex5/5/2022 4:07 pm
Well, if the Times of Israel refers to them as “neo-Nazi” and “anti-Semitic”...then, that's good enough for me! We must all pray for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church!
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