Nezhin eparchy appeals to the President due to radicals’ attacks

Clergymen and laity adopted an appeal to the President and Minister of the Interior

Archbishop Clement of Nezhin and Priluki said the incident had been reported to members of the OSCE Monitoring Mission, according to the press service of the eparchy.

On July 26, 2018, the clergy and faithful of the Nezhin eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gathered in St. Nicholas temple in Borzna to support the victims of the attack which had occurred the day before by members of the Svoboda association and other radical organizations.

Archbishop Clement of Nezhin and Priluki led the prayer service "On the increase of love and eradication of malice", at which the youth choir of the students of the summer Orthodox children's camp "On the Sea of Galilee", were singing church hymns.

After the prayer, Vladyka thanked all those who were subjected to the oppression of the radicals for their courageous standing in faith, and on behalf of the eparchy gave an icon of the Great Martyr Panteleimon as a gift to Sergei Blizniuk, editor-in-chief of News of Borzna edition, who had beaten by the radicals for his article about the Orthodox camp.

Vladyka Clement said that members of the OSCE monitoring mission had been notified of the incident in the Orthodox children's camp, as well as of the beating of the journalist.

Recently, right-wing radicals from Svoboda and other nationalist groups broke into the Orthodox youth camp of the UOC, but the children were not found there, since the camp finished its work a day earlier. Because of the youth camp nationalists threatened Bishop Clement and injured the editor of the local newspaper for writing an article about the rest of the children.

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