The head of the Uman Orthodox diocese addressed himself to the authorities with a request to protect Christian relics from vandalism
January 6, 2017 – In an open statement, the priesthood and members of the Uman (Ukraine) Orthodox congregation are worried about the desecration of the Holy Cross.
The archbishop of Uman and Zvenigorod Panteleimon has notified the authorities, law-enforcement agencies and other religious organizations about the vandalism of the Crucifixion Cross that took place in Uman on December 31, 2016. This was reported by the Information-Enlightenment department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate.
“As it became known from some sources of the media, eyewitness reports and camera recordings, the act of vandalism was conducted by members of the Jewish community. We would like to remind everyone that these are not the first such acts of disrespect, hostility, and insult to religious sentiments aimed against the Christians and believers in our city from the above-mentioned community. Such an act is unacceptable in the modern civilized world and society” noted the Archbishop Panteleimon.
His Eminence also underlined, “We condemn such an atrocity, and at the same time, we pray to the Lord that He may forgive them a sin of such gravity, for “they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34), and through their spiritual blindness and wrath they assault the Lord Himself, creating an interreligious strife as a result.”
Aside from that, the archbishop called for the law-enforcement and all other public order agencies concerned to ensure security, a peaceful coexistence of religions and to not allow the occurrence of such transgressions in the future.
Sources
http://news.church.ua/2017/01/01/vandaly-oskvernili-raspyatie-iisusa-xrista-v-umani/?lang=ru