Christianity Already Being Forced Out In Russian-Controlled Crimea
March 17, 2014
Don’t let media pictures of the cross ever present on the bare chest of Vladimir Putin fool you that he’s really a Christian.
Don’t allow Putin’s contention that “America is Godless and has turned away from Christian values,” to confuse.
“In his state of the Nation speech last month, Putin asserted that, “Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots including Christian values…Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan.” Russia has adopted new laws that ban homosexual propaganda and criminalizes the insulting of religious sensibilities.” (
Breitbart, Jan. 29, 2014)
A bare two months later, ‘Christian’ Putin has returned the brutal heel of the Marxism-Leninism ideology which made atheism the official doctrine of the Soviet Union down on the people of Russia’s newly-acquired Crimea.
Throughout the 70-year history of the Soviet Union, Christianity was suppressed and persecuted uninterrupted until Pope John Paul 11, President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought down the Iron Curtain and Soviet Communism.
“The state was committed to the destruction of religion, and destroyed churches, mosques and temples, ridiculed, harassed and executed religious leaders, flooded the schools and media with atheistic teachings, and generally promoted atheism as the truth that society should accept. The total number of Christian victims of Soviet state atheist policies, has been estimated to range between 12-20 millions.” (Wikipedia)
The Soviet Union didn’t change when it became plain Mother Russia. The KGB tiger called Putin has never changed his stripes.
With yesterday’s cheers still resounding from the overwhelming 96.77 percent for Crimea to rejoin Russia and 2.51 percent against still resounding, the biggest victim of the referendum is Christianity—already being forced out.
“Earlier this month, Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests received oral and written threats warning them to leave Crimea.” (
Vatican News)
Over the weekend, three priests of the Greek-Catholic church were missing in Crimea.
“On Sunday at around 2 p.m., the priest of the Greek-Catholic church, Mykola Kvych disappeared in Sevastopol.” (
Democratic Alliance, March 16, 2014)
“According to the report, the last thing he managed to say: “If I do not get in touch anymore, then please report: they are smashing in the doors of my apartment on Khrustalova Street. They are the police and pro-Russian “self-defense”, there are many of them, I have metal doors, but I do not know how long they will stand.
“I spoke with Father Mykola today at around 12:00. He told me that Finnish journalists would come for an interview. Probably at the time of the attack, they could stay in his apartment,”—said the head of the Information Department of Greek-Catholic Church Ihor Yatsiv.
“Besides, parishioners of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from Yevpatoria reported that their priest Bogdan Kostecki had also disappeared today.
“They report that on Saturday he returned from western city of Ternopil, where he brought his family. On the same day he told his wife that he has already gone to Crimea, and then disappeared. His phones are switched off.
“It became known that Father Ihor Havryliv has also disappeared. According to the preliminary information, he was in a car together with Father Bogdan Kostecki.”
“Our priests and bishops have been very close to the people,” said Bishop Borys. “We’ve been inspired by the example of Our Lord [Who] went a long distance from fellowship with the Father to incarnate Himself and be in our reality.”
He said they have also been inspired by the words of Pope Francis “who said a pastor needs to have the smell of his sheep”. And our pastors have been with the people, and they’re today with the people enduring this occupation in the Crimea.” (Vatican Radio)
When utter control over vulnerable populations is the chief aim of politicians like Vladimir Putin, claiming to be Christian gets them to where they want to be.
Perhaps Putin learned that from President Barack Obama.
Kidnapped Sevastopol Priest Released After Interrogation
March 16, 2014
A priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Mykola Kvych, was released late March 16, 2014, and allowed to go home after being kidnapped by armed representatives of (the new) Crimean authorities and the so-called “self-defense.”
As reported to the Institute for Religious Freedom by the Department for Pastoral Care in the Armed Forces of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC, the priest was held for twelve hours at the Sevastopol police station, where he was questioned harshly by local law enforcement officials who accused him of organizing provocations in Crimea.
The priest was kidnapped Saturday morning during worship. Unidentified armed men broke into the parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in the city of Sevastopol. Father Mykola Kvych, who served as rector of the parish and principal military chaplain of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Crimea, was seized and taken to an unknown destination.
At the same time, a search was conducted in Fr. Mykola’s own home, where 10 bullet-proof vests were found. Father Mykola had these articles of self-defense in his possession as part of his pastoral ministry to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea, who are blocked by unmarked Russian troops, and for journalists who are increasingly exposed to attacks while covering events on the peninsula.
However, the self-proclaimed Crimean government wants to prosecute the priest for possession of body armor without permission. An indictment has been drawn up and the hearing is to take place in Sevastopol in two weeks.
“Bullet-proof vests and helmets in such a case cannot be subject to any administrative or criminal prosecution,” explained Maksym Paliy, doctor of law, police colonel and head of the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology at the Donetsk Law Institute, in commentary prepared for the Institute for Religious Freedom.
According to Paliy, the indictment against the priest does not contain any apparent administrative offences since “bullet-proof vests are not included in the special self-defense equipment that is limited by Article 195-1 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences.”
For his part, Fr. Mykola categorically denies all the allegations against him. He said that he would remain with his faithful in Crimea in spite of the threats.
According to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, during March 2014, priests have not received a single written or vocal threat with the demand to leave Crimean territory. Furthermore, all the pastors of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church have decided not to leave their faithful, especially in these very difficult times.
In addition, on March 13, during a press conference, Patriarch Filaret (Denisenko) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate expressed his concerns that the communities of the Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate in Crimea would be banned “after the so-called referendum and the declaration of Crimea as Russian territory,” which could then lead to attempts to seize churches and attacks on the faithful of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
It should be noted that the unlawful interference with religious observance and the disruption or threatened disruption of a religious observance is a criminal offense under Article 180 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Equally criminal is any violation of the equality of citizens regardless of their race, nationality of religion, as addressed in Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Source:
http://www.irs.in.ua/index.php?optio...mid=61&lang=uk
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