FEMEN's “crusade” named as blasphemy and political technology

KYIV, August 23 /UKRINFORM/. The cross, cut by FEMEN movement activists in the Kyiv center, caused a hard-line response from the church.

Izvestia in Ukraine writes about this.

“It became a motive for the ideological unity of all confessions. Their representatives say that a political technology was thus used in Ukraine, which has never been used earlier in Ukraine,” the publication notes in its issue today and cites opinions of representatives of a number of religious organizations in Ukraine on the situation that has emerged.

In particular, head of the Synodal Information and Education Department of the UOC-MP Archpriest Heorhiy Kovalenko stressed that this is not the first anti-religious and anti-church campaign with participation of FEMEN.

“Obviously, the women went down the path of blasphemy and sacrilege. Naturally, we should not stand apart. On the contrary, the society has to defend our sanctuaries,” the Archpriest has said and called on journalists to ignore such actions.

In turn, Press Secretary of the Rome Catholic Church Bishop Vitaliy Skomarovsky added that not only law-enforcement structures, but people should condemn the action of those girls.

“Nobody bans peaceful protest actions in Ukraine. However, when they turn into open manifestations of vandalism it becomes a problem, against which it is necessary to fight,” he said.

Head of the Information Department of the Greek Catholic Church Ihor Yatsiv described this incident as provocation and political technology. First Deputy Chairman of Majlis Refat Chubarov noted that the situation, which had formed “should become a motive for all confessions for ideological uniting.”

“Girls should be punished, but not with imprisonment. This should be a fine and complete disregard of their actions,” this is the opinion of David Milman, Assistant to the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.

Head of the Information-Publication Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate Yevstratiy (Zoria) expressed quick resentment with actions of FEMEN activists: “We remember well how under slogans of democracy crosses have been destroyed. This led the people to totalitarian slavery, to millions of victims, cataclysms blood and tears. Those, who committed desecration over the cross consider themselves defenders of freedom, but actually they are followers of Stalin repressions.”