Cross over the Supreme Rada. “What did believers really pray at the parliament?”: a cross appeared in the sky above the Verkhovna Rada (photo)

Yesterday, May 18, on a May sunny day in the Mariinsky Park (before the revolution of 1917 - Tsarsky), in front of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in addition to numerous Kyivans, Orthodox believers gathered from various dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Most of them left for Kyiv yesterday or tonight, in order to unite in the morning in joint prayer to the Lord for the admonition of people's deputies, by whose vote the fate of the Church in Ukraine could be decided.

It was planned to consider two scandalous bills No. 4128 and no. 4511 placed on the agenda for voting in the Verkhovna Rada. The content of these projects can only be compared with a terrorist bomb directed at Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The adoption of laws would mean a new persecution of the Church, up to the deprivation by it of a number of legal rights, in which its churches could be transferred to other confessions, clergy and bishops would be appointed with the permission of the authorities and self-government bodies. In fact, this is a rollback to the times of the godless regime of the 20th century, when the punishing hand of state atheism tried to uproot the popular faith from the masses of millions. It is characteristic that, both in 1918 and now, the authorities turned on the “green light” for schismatics and impostors masquerading as Orthodox, while the legitimate canonical Orthodox Church is being oppressed and repressed in every possible way.

On the square in front of the building of the Verkhovna Rada, a sea of ​​people with banners, icons, crosses and posters, blocked by a metal fence and a police chain, offered a prayer. Molebens and akathists were served, alternating with a common Easter greeting: "Christ is risen!", "Truly risen!"

Hundreds of believers arrived in Kyiv with the Archbishop of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod Iosaph.

“The information that the ill-fated bills will be considered today in the Verkhovna Rada was received very negatively by the Kirovohrad flock,” Vladyka said. - About a thousand people came from our region. But a larger number of believers remained in the regional center in order to hold the same prayer standing in front of the building of the regional administration. And not only here, but in all cities of Ukraine, people came out with processions to unite in prayer with millions of people across the country. Orthodox believers are outraged that the state interferes in the most sacred - spiritual life, trampling both the constitutional rights of citizens and evangelical principles, because the President of Ukraine, assuming a high office, takes an oath on the Holy Scriptures, where the words of Christ about love, humility and gentleness are heard. When we lack bread, warmth, or some other material wealth, our people endure. But when they encroach on the most sacred - faith and the Church, patience runs out. And our people react in this way to the events taking place in the highest legislative body of Ukraine. Unfortunately, there are forces that benefit from the fact that there is no peace in our country, but chaos. So that church unity, which covers all regions of the country, including the East of the country and the Orthodox Crimea, be broken. We know that the author of one of the projects is the deputy Viktor Yelensky, who is listed as a professor at a Catholic university in Lviv, as well as a number of other radicals who hate the canonical Church.

The sun has already outlined noon, and many hours of standing continued. People, having rested in the shady alleys of the park, again joined the ranks of the worshipers. Orthodox people approached from the Arsenalnaya metro station and below Podol: young and old, with icons and posters, many took their children with them.

HOLY WOMEN IN THE DESERT OF THE EAST ST. THEODORA The daughter of wealthy parents, beautiful in appearance, was chosen to marry a good young man. The young husband loved his young wife, and their life was an example of a happy married life. Unfortunately, the young rich man fell passionately in love with Theodora. He poured gifts and money, assurances and caresses, in order to seduce Theodora from the path of duty. She did not succumb to sin. He turned for help to a clever woman who was engaged in deceptions of various kinds; a corrupt soul took up a young, inexperienced woman; after many satanic deceptions, she managed to inspire Theodora with the idea that God does not see the sins of the night, and the crime was committed at night. But as soon as the heinous sin was committed, Theodora felt a burning repentance. Tormented by her conscience, she could not endure the presence of her husband, her relatives and friends. In vain did she tell herself that her sin was unknown to good people and God. Her conscience denounced her infidelity to her husband and did not give her peace. Finally, she made up her mind to run away from home and in a deserted place to make amends for the crime with strict repentance. First she appeared at the convent, where she was received with love. The abbess, noticing her anguish, gave her the Gospel to read. When she read here: nothing is covered, the hedgehog will not open; she froze in horror. Tearing at her hair, she now confessed to the abbess in her crime. “If there is repentance for me,” she said, “then I break ties with the world and begin to pray to God for mercy.” Fearing that her husband would find her in a women's monastery and would not allow her to perform the deeds of repentance, she decided to hide in a men's monastery. AT men's clothing she came to the Octodecade monastery. The abbot for the first time did not order to give an answer until the morning. She stayed at night behind the monastery. Then it is said: “You are a young and pampered eunuch, and the charter of the monastery is strict, severe, you cannot be accepted.” “I’ll die of hunger, but I won’t leave the monastery,” answered the eunuch. The pastor gave in. Theodora is now in the same monastery where the relics of St. Thomais, who gave her life for the preservation of marital fidelity. It is clear how her determination to exploits should have increased. It is understandable why she wanted to die, but not move away from the walls of the Octodecade. She considered her admission to the Octodecade a sign that her desires - to repent - would not be rejected by heaven. She was entrusted with work in the monastery garden, carrying water, where it was required, and finally, cleaning the entire courtyard; at the same time, she did not free herself from fasting, vigils, private and common prayers. Theodora said to herself with humility that, judging by the importance of her crime, the obediences entrusted to her were too easy and indulgent. She herself wanted to intensify her labors and brought her zeal to the point that she took food only once a week. Her successes in spiritual exploits attracted the mercy of the Savior to her, and she amazed the abbot and the brethren with her exploits, before she was crucified on the cross of mortification, incessantly falling, like a new harlot, at the feet of Christ, day and night washing them with tears of repentance, that not only was her sin forgiven, but she stood at a high degree of spiritual perfection. Divine grace began to appear in her visibly. So, since the crocodile that devoured people died at her word. And yet, the Lord allowed the ascetic to be under a terrible test. The abbot sent her to the city with camels, on which she was to load oil and bread and return to the monastery. She was ordered, if night fell on her way, to stop at the ninth monastery (it was nine miles from Alexandria). Here the girl, mistaking Theodora for a man, wanted to persuade her to sin, but was rejected with humble indignation, threw herself in her shameful frenzy into the arms of some passerby. Having become pregnant, she, at the insistence of her parents, who wanted to find out who seduced her, answered that the culprit of her crime was a monk of the ninth monastery, and determined the day, hour and place where she met him. After bringing complaints and making a search in this monastery, it turned out that the culprit was Theodore. The monks of the ninth monastery turned with loud complaints to the abbot of the monastery in which the ascetic lived, demanding severe punishment for insulting all monasticism. The humble Theodora, of course, could justify herself immediately, but she, deeply feeling her shortcomings before the holiness of God, decided to perfect her soul through voluntary sorrows. She was expelled from the convent; she had to hide in a beggarly hut, which she herself had set up near the monastery. When the girl who accused Theodora gave birth, the child was brought to Theodora, as to the father, who was supposed to feed him; she fed this adopted child with milk, which the neighboring shepherds gave her out of compassion. She herself was content with the wild herbs of the desert, and to quench her thirst she drank sea water. How many sorrows this tender woman's soul endured under the hail of ridicule of insolent righteousness! What was it worth enduring both the heat of a hot climate and the cold of damp winter air! Deprived of the right to live with people, she lived with the beasts of the desert. And she endured all this with silent love for seven whole years. Seven years after the expulsion, the monks of the ninth monastery, demanding the punishment of Theodora, came to the abbot who had expelled her and asked to accept the repentant eunuch. She was accepted, but on the condition that she lock herself with her child in a secluded cell and would not leave it. This retreat lasted two years. Shortly before her death, her monastery suffered a great disaster: because of the drought there was no water in the wells and even in the lake itself. The abbot, having called the brethren, said: “Only Father Theodore, by the grace of God resting on him, can save us.” Calling Theodora from her secluded cell, he told her to take a vessel and bring water from the well, which was completely dry. With the word “Bless, Father,” she went and drew water from the well, which instantly filled with water and was not without water during the rest of the drought. Before her death, Theodora offered the most instructive advice to the child who considered her his father. She exhorted him to stay in the monastery, to be obedient, patient, helpful. She begged him never and in no case to condemn anyone, to pray for sinners to the only Sinless One, to answer modestly to questions, not to defile the lips with either an idle or blasphemous word, to serve the monks with love, especially to look after the sick, to resort to God in all sorrows and temptations and make remembrance of it before the Lord, Who has the power to judge not only sins, but also the righteousness of people. In conclusion, she told her imaginary son that she entrusts him to God Almighty, who will not leave him, for He is the father and mother of all orphans, mentor and guide to salvation. This last advice to her child was heard by some of the monks. After fervent prayer, she rested from her labors. Seeing that she was dead, the child began to sob loudly; the monks, who heard her teachings and her wondrous last prayer, told the rector about it, but God had already revealed to him both the field and the spiritual merits of the deceased. The abbot did not want to discover this otherwise than in the presence of the hermits of the ninth monastery, whom he sent for. They all arrived with the abbot. The secret of sex, angelic purity, wonderful long patience, exploits of self-denial, Theodora's innocence were solemnly recognized. Providence was pleased to bring her husband to the monastery; he learned only at that time both about the reason for the removal of his wife from the house, and about her asceticism; deeply struck by the example, he left the light, sold his property, accepted monasticism, settled in Theodora's cell and was buried in the same grave with her. The child, on the other hand, grew in virtue and later became the abbot of this very monastery. Blessed Theodora labored under the emperor Zeno (474-490).

The Presidents of Ukraine and Russia spoke by phone. Ukraine is going to receive $2-3 billion annually from gas transit. Former Berkut fighters spoke about the events of 2014. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed Naftogaz to sign agreements with Gazprom. The head of the tax service boasted that for the first time since 2011 he had fulfilled the plan for revenues to the state budget. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. The Presidents of Ukraine and Russia spoke by phone. Ukraine is going to receive $2-3 billion annually from gas transit. Former Berkut fighters spoke about the events of 2014. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed Naftogaz to sign agreements with Gazprom. The head of the tax service boasted that for the first time since 2011 he had fulfilled the plan for revenues to the state budget. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. The Presidents of Ukraine and Russia spoke by phone. Ukraine is going to receive $2-3 billion annually from gas transit. Former Berkut fighters spoke about the events of 2014. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed Naftogaz to sign agreements with Gazprom. The head of the tax service boasted that for the first time since 2011 he had fulfilled the plan for revenues to the state budget. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. The Presidents of Ukraine and Russia spoke by phone. Ukraine is going to receive $2-3 billion annually from gas transit. Former Berkut fighters spoke about the events of 2014. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed Naftogaz to sign agreements with Gazprom. The head of the tax service boasted that for the first time since 2011 he had fulfilled the plan for revenues to the state budget. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine. “Servant of the people” Evgenia Kravchuk “let slip” on the social network that they “have ideas on taxing Facebook”. "YouTube" began to delete videos of "shootings on the Maidan" . Ukraine has signed a "secret" settlement agreement with Gazprom. Minister Malyuska figured out how to increase his salary. Zelensky rejected a petition to deprive Medvedchuk of the title of Honored Lawyer of Ukraine.

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On May 18, more than 10 thousand believers gathered at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to protest against the adoption of anti-church bills N 4128 and N 4511.

According to the Information and Educational Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, right now, on May 18, 2017, there are about ten thousand under the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Representatives of parishes and monasteries from different parts of Ukraine are thus trying to force the people's representatives to hear the opinion of the religious part of society and prevent the legalization of discrimination on religious grounds in Ukraine.

Right now, May 18, 2017, under the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, about ten thousand believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from different regions of Ukraine are standing in prayer so that the Lord will instruct the people's choices not to accept the anti-church bills put on the agenda of the meeting. This is reported Information and Education Department of the UOC.

With their prayerful standing, people speak out against the adoption of the scandalous bill No. 4128, which can legalize "church raiding", and bill No. 4511, which is designed to discredit the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and provides for state control in its affairs.

Starting at 8:00 a.m., the clergy, led by the bishops of the UOC, Metropolitan Vladimir of Pochaev, Archbishop Joasaph of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod, Bishop Iona Obukhovsky, Bishop Clement of Irpen, Bishop Varsonofy of Borodyansk, Bishop Cassian of Ivankovsky, perform prayers for the admonition of people's deputies, so that by their actions and acceptance of resonant bills have not unleashed an inter-confessional war in Ukraine.

Watch live from the scene on page of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Facebook.

The participants of the prayer standing told for what purpose they now pray at the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

Ekaterina (Chernihiv region):

We defend the rights of believers, we oppose the law by which deputies will violate the rights and freedoms of our Orthodox Christians, for the defense of our Holy Orthodox Canonical Apostolic Church of Christ. You know, the deputies trample not only Christ, but also their ancestors, grandfathers, fathers and great-grandfathers. We are for Christ and defend our rights.

Larisa (Khmelnitsky):

We came to defend the rights of our canonical Orthodox Church, so that we would be allowed to serve as the apostles bequeathed to us. So that the state does not interfere in the Church, because, frankly, they do not understand anything there. I was a participant in the procession and with my own eyes I saw the miracles that took place and the Lord showed that He was with us. We hope that the deputies will hear us and this issue will be resolved peacefully, because this is the largest denomination.

We recall earlier on our website that tens of thousands of Orthodox throughout Ukraine signed an appeal to the people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada with a call to prevent the adoption of anti-church bills N 4128 and N 4511.

On that day, the Verkhovna Rada did not consider anti-church bills.

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The Kyiv authorities have stepped up pressure on the last spiritual and social bond linking Ukraine with Russia, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In response to two anti-church bills prepared for voting in parliament on May 18, faithful to canonical Orthodoxy came out on a fateful day to the walls of the Verkhovna Rada in prayerful standing, filling the entire square in front of the building, praying that the Lord would instruct the people's deputies not to adopt anti-church laws.

According to the organizers, about 10 thousand people came to the Mariinsky Park. The action was patrolled by mounted police.

It is noteworthy that a cross made of clouds was seen in the sky above the Verkhovna Rada during the prayer service. One can speculate about the nature and origin of the "heavenly cross", but the fact remains.

Monk Alypiy Svetlichny writes on Facebook: “In the Verkhovna Rada, all in an embroidered shirt, as if from a village party, Anton Gerashchenko blamed the assembled Orthodox Christians who came to the prayer service with icons, banners and the Cross for not bringing the national flag. He concluded that this was done because the enemies of the state are standing under the Verkhovna Rada. No, embroidered sir, they are not the enemies of Ukraine. It is you who oppose the very Conscience of Ukraine! You are struggling with this remnant of conscience. And they are ready to strangle her without a trace with their bloody hands. It is you who make Orthodox Christians your enemies. But not you, Rada, all Ukrainians. The salt of the earth stood under your windows!”

Lawlessness against the UOC, of ​​course, could not be without personal support from Poroshenko, Parubiy and Groysman; the latter, even while in Israel, again spoke about the creation of a local Ukrainian church. It is especially poignant to hear this from Groysman.

Analysts are anxious about the possible grave consequences of the adoption of anti-church bills, the essence of which is to maintain state control over the canonical Church (appointment of bishops), as well as the high probability of the seizure of churches by schismatics with the support of Nazi radicals and a change in the jurisdiction of religious communities whose centers act as Ukraine and beyond.

The very fact of introducing bills to the agenda of the Rada marks the beginning of a new stage of the civil war in Ukraine. It can escalate into a religious war.

Temples of the UOC were captured before, during 2014-2016. more than forty temples were captured. Priests were beaten, killed, forced to emigrate. However, before this was still interpreted as "illegal excesses." Now, the very fact of voting and introducing these bills into the field of public discussion actually legalizes anti-Orthodox rioters.

This was confirmed by the simultaneous, on the same day, attacks by groups of pravoseks on canonical churches.

In particular, a group of fighters in camouflage and masks tried to break into the church of John Sochavsky belonging to the UOC in the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky district of the Odessa region, the parishioners locked themselves in the building and called for help by sounding the alarm.

Was captured by representatives of the Nazi organization "Freedom" and the Holy Dormition Church of the canonical Church in the village of Zvezdnoye, Khmelnytsky region. “Svoboda, led by Viktor Burlik, a deputy of the regional council from the Svoboda party, threatening us with physical violence, demanded that we give up the church,” said Archpriest Mikhail Varakhoba. “In order to avoid acts of vandalism and clashes, we were forced to give them the keys and even all the documents for the church.” According to the priest, Svoboda also agitated the believers of the UOC-MP to move to the "Kyiv Patriarchate".

By the way, the other day the head of the "Kyiv Patriarchate" Denisenko signed a memorandum of cooperation with the "Right Sector". As you can see, the agreement immediately went into action.

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Apparently, we can talk not only about a religious war, the most terrible of all possible, but also about the fact that it is planned to bring the bishops and metropolitans personally appointed by Poroshenko to a common denominator. And then the “All-Ukrainian Council” assembled from them will launch, for example, the procedure for breaking with the Russian Orthodox Church. This is precisely what those who criminally seized power over the people of Ukraine and long for the destruction of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are leading to.

Political scientist and public figure I. Druz argues that the introduction of such bills to the vote has a significant propaganda effect for the entire Ukrainian society, which the authorities are gradually preparing for a military scenario to seize the main Orthodox shrines, including the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The Poroshenko regime is trying to smoothly implement the old plans of Rome, voiced by the Uniate Metropolitan Sheptytsky a hundred years ago: first, tear off the dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate from the Russian Mother Church, and then subordinate them to the Pope. In the Rada, as in the entire ukropolitikum, there are practically no non-pro-Western forces left. The State Department has grown a whole galaxy of its agents of influence in Ukraine, not only buying them up, but also ideologically reforging them, driving them through puppet pseudo-nationalist organizations.

* * *

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine appealed to the deputies of the Ukrainian parliament with a request to prevent the adoption of anti-church bills: “At present, the entire Orthodox world has been stirred up by the actions of individual politicians who are artificially trying to make the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is the Church of the Ukrainian people and unites the divided East and the West, the North and the South of our country are alien to the Ukrainian society.”

“Dear deputies! — said in the appeal. “More than 300,000 citizens of Ukraine have personally appealed to you, their chosen ones, with a request not to accept these bills… The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has repeatedly noted the danger of these bills, which are not only anti-church, but also anti-state and anti-people, and their adoption will lead to religious enmity , discrimination and violation of freedom of conscience and religion. The implementation of these bills will open the door to a religious war and leave a negative imprint on Ukraine in the international arena.”

And in the message of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, it is noted that if the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopts these anti-Orthodox projects, discriminatory legal practice unheard of in modern Europe against the majority of the Orthodox population of Ukraine will be legalized. Such restrictive religious legislation did not operate in Ukraine even during the communist regime, and in the rest of Europe something similar existed only during Nazi rule in Germany.

Patriarch Kirill addressed the "heads of the states of the Normandy Four", Primates Orthodox Churches, the Head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches with a call to make every effort to prevent the adoption of discriminatory bills No. 4128 and No. 4511, "which threatens to become a blatant example of the violation of human rights to freedom of religion."

The appeal of Patriarch Kirill apparently had an effect, as there was a reaction from both the Vatican and many international organizations. It is remarkable, and even symptomatic, that the response was immediate.

In particular, in response to the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Olaf Fükse Tveit sent special messages to Poroshenko and Parubiy, in which he noted that the WCC, which includes 348 member churches representing more than 110 countries and 500 million of Christians, is deeply concerned: “The World Council of Churches believes that the adoption of the aforementioned bills will jeopardize the principle of freedom of religion and equality of all Churches and religious communities in Ukraine and may cause a new wave of tension in Ukrainian society ... These two bills run counter to ongoing efforts in Ukraine Democracy Development… We call for these potentially negative bills to be withdrawn.”

And the pontiff called for an audience Ukrainian ambassador at the Vatican to discuss the anti-church initiative of the deputies of the Rada.

David Milman, assistant to the chief rabbi of Ukraine, also said his words on the burning topic: “There is such a thing as law enforcement. The political situation may change, but the law, if passed, will remain. And it can turn against any religious community. Today it is the Moscow Patriarchate, tomorrow it will be Catholics, and the day after tomorrow it may be Muslims or our church. It is impossible to pass laws on the topic of the day.

And although draft laws were removed from the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada that day, it is highly likely that bullying of believers will continue next week.

At the same time, on May 18, the power of the All-Ukrainian Prayer Standing of the Orthodox believers of Ukraine was shown.

And the religious procession, which took place in the summer of 2016, showed that tens and hundreds of thousands of believers come out in support of the UOC. All over Ukraine.

Photo pravoslavye.org.ua; strana.ua