UOC: Attempts to bar believers from cross procession had an opposite effect
Actions of authorities to block the departure of believers for the cross procession to Kiev had the opposite effect, noted Protopriest Victor Zemlianoy.
According to Protopriest Victor Zemlianoy, responsible for the settlement of inter-confessional conflicts of Rovno eparchy, enforcement bodies, transport police and authorities in every possible way prevented the participation of believers of the UOC in the procession on July 27 in Kiev, reports the UOJ correspondent.
According to him, this had the opposite effect. In fact, 20 buses were anticipated for dispatch, but there left actually 22, with booked carriages on top of that. "That is, more people left for the event in the end," explained the priest.
He also said that in order to take all pilgrims to Kiev they had to hire buses in other regions, too.
As reported by the UOJ, officials massively blocked the participation of believers in the religious procession of the UOC. In Zaporozhye, Zhitomir, Rovno and other regions, the UOC believers were prevented from attending the procession in the capital, including putting pressure on carriers.
Earlier, commenting on media reports on obstructions created by the authorities for participation of the UOC believers in the cross procession, lawyers from NGO Public Advocacy qualified it as a criminal offense.
