Pressure on organizers of the Cross Procession is put by those who repulse national reconciliation, – ROC

The Russian Orthodox Church called unacceptable the attempts of persecutions of protopriest Victor Zemlianoy, one of the organizers and leaders of the western column of All-Ukrainian Cross Procession, reports Interfax.

“I am convinced any attempts of imposing pressure or intimidating people, who actually and honestly made steps on the way to genuine national reconciliation, can come from those who do not wish gracious living to Ukraine and want to carry on the civil conflict,” stated head of the Synod’s Department for Church Relations with the Society and Mass Media Vladimir Legoyda on 30 January.

Herewith he noted that All-Ukrainian Cross Procession, held in the summer of 2016, “gave a hope to millions of Ukrainians that overcoming of discrepancies Ukraine has been hit by recently is feasible, but only on the basis of Orthodox faith, integrating and reconciling people of various political views.”

As regards father Victor, whose house was subject to search the other day, he, according to Legoyda, “enjoys unquestioned authority with the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church irrespective of their political beliefs and place of residence.”

On 25 January SBU carried out searches in the houses of Rovno eparchy’s priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Оne of them is protopriest Victor Zemlianoy who organized and led a western column of All-Ukrainian Cross Procession of love, peace and prayer for Ukraine. According to the lawyer, searches, during which the law enforcers showed a rude behavior toward the priest’s wife and three minor children, were carried out with violations of the procedure.

As the UOJ reported earlier, SBU carried out a search of the Cross Procession organizers and a UOJ journalist.