Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

15:22:49
28/06/2018

ria.ru

Unknown persons in Odessa [most likely – Banderists – ed] robbed and profaned a temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in honor of the Don icon of the Mother of God, reported the information and educational department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The incident occurred at the Western cemetery on Wednesday [June 28th – ed] night.

“Having broken the window shutters and broken a window, four criminals entered the temple and started to destroy everything inside. The malefactors switched-off the alarm system and damaged the unit with surveillance cameras, and also scattered and broke church objects,” it is said in the statement.

The unknown persons also cracked open the donation boxes.

Over the past few years more than 50 Orthodox churches in the Odessa diocese were profaned and robbed, but none of the robbers have been found.

Today in Ukraine there are several churches of the orthodox rite – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) recognised by all local orthodox churches of the world,  and also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (KP), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and the Ukrainian Greco-catholic church.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has repeatedly reported about the persecution of its priests and the seize of Orthodox churches by representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (KP).

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